ACA Sustainability Report 2022 - Report - Page 19
Innovation Leads to Environmental Improvement
MEMBER STORY
Sustainability in our DNA: New Bio-based
Aliphatic Urethane Acrylate
Since the 1960s, allnex has been an
inventor of sustainable resin solutions,
such as waterborne industrial coating
resins, polyester powder resins and UV
curable technologies. allnex has deep
roots in sustainability and is actively
working to reduce our environmental
footprint, focusing on the impact of
our operations, technologies and
product offerings. The radiation
curing technology, part of the allnex
portfolio, is characterized by an
energy-efficient profile along with a
portfolio of low- to no-VOC products.
The technology uses energy-induced
radical polymerization, which results
in immediate curing of the coating
that can be achieved with ultraviolet
light or electron beams. Alternative
curing mechanisms can be obtained in
combination with peroxides and/or in
the presence of elevated temperatures.
Because of its performance, high
throughput and sustainable profile, this
technology is widely used in markets
such as industrial wood, packaging,
inks and plastic coatings. The
replacement of less environmentally
friendly technologies, such as solventbased and acid-catalyzed systems that
release volatile organic compounds
into the atmosphere, has contributed
to the growth rate and interest in this
technology. In particular, this shift
has affected industrial wood coatings
such as furniture and flooring, a trend
driven by brand owners and actively
supported by allnex.
While radiation curing already offers a
sustainable profile, allnex is continually
pushing the boundaries to further
reduce its environmental footprint by
investing in more efficient production
processes, increasing the durability of
its products and continuing to develop
a portfolio of resins that contain safer
chemicals and incorporate bio-based
building blocks to ultimately reduce its
overall carbon footprint.
One of these efforts led to the
development of EBECRYL®4690, a
bio-based energy curable aliphatic
urethane acrylate. This one-of-akind, patented product contains 30%
C14 (measured according to ASTM
D6866) and is tin, solvent and BPAfree. The product combines excellent
weathering resistance, high reactivity,
a strong abrasion and chemical
resistance with a very low yellowing.
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It is therefore ideal for both clear and
pigmented coatings for exterior and
interior applications, as well as for
coatings for furniture, kitchen cabinets,
floors and panels. The carbon footprint
reduction of the material can be
estimated as >500 g CO2/kg.
When developing the product, allnex
considered other key market elements
such as performance, price positioning
and raw material availability. We can
proudly confirm that the performance
and price positioning are very close
to the fossil analogue, while the
availability of the key bio-based raw
material has been detached from fossil
value chains plagued by availability
issues. Thus, we offer not only a
sustainable product, but also a product
that meets other market requirements:
availability, performance and cost. At
allnex, we believe that sustainability
should not be a burden, rather a
source of great opportunities, which
we once again have demonstrated with
this development.
Learn more at https://allnex.com/en/
technologies/ecowise-choice.