TAGS: Biobased Solutions Surface Modification
Clariant has received Material Health Certificate GOLD level certification from California-based Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute for its Licocare® RBW 102 Vita, Licocare® RBW 106 Vita and Licocare® RBW 300 Vita bio-based lubricating and dispersing aids.
Clariant’s Additives Derived from Rice Bran Wax
Licocare® RBW bio-based additives are derived from rice bran wax, a non-food-competing by-product from the production of edible rice bran oil.
Features and Benefits of Licocare® RBW Additives
Benefits of the additives include:
- Melt flow improvements
- Easier mold release
- More homogeneous distribution of pigments
- Smoother surface finish for plastic parts
Clariant upgrades this renewable raw material to facilitate its use as value-added, highly effective processing aids for plastics compounders and masterbatch producers. Given their extraordinary heat stability, typical application areas include engineering thermoplastics, biopolymers and epoxy resins.
Licocare® RBW products typically carry Clariant’s Vita designator that identifies solutions based on a renewable feedstock and have a renewable carbon index (RCI) higher than 98 percent. In addition, the majority of Licocare® RBW solutions have been assigned Clariant’s EcoTain® label.
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Clariant’s Licocare® RBW Vita range fully supports the market requirement for additives that go beyond the current sustainability requirements, while at the same time, not compromising on the high-performance requirements in customer applications,” says Manuel Mueller, global market segment leader, Clariant BU additives.
About the Material Health Certificate
The Material Health Certificate uses the rigorous, globally recognized material health assessment methodology of the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product Standard to verify a product’s support for safe and circular products.
Cradle to Crade® is a design concept developed in the early 90’s by William McDonough and Michael Braungart that is inspired by nature and represents circular thinking and innovation. Clariant worked closely with the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) Switzerland GmbH to determine the suitability of Licocare® RBW products for the certification.
Albin Kälin, CEO of EPEA Switzerland, commented, “
With this Material Health Certificate at the GOLD level, Clariant is a lighthouse, offering chemical solutions which are derived from renewable resources and are safe in water and the environment.”
All ingredients present at > 100 ppm in a product are assessed regarding material health to enable safe and circular products. As lubricants and dispersing agents are process chemicals which may be released into water, the safety of such an ingredient is one of the five criteria of the Cradle to Cradle Certified certification standard.
Source: Clariant