European Commission Awards Dow Grant to Pursue Sustainable Footwear Project
Dow Polyurethane (PU) Systems, working with the Italian producer of polyurethane shoe soles Mondial Suole, will test newly developed elastomeric polyurethane material with renewable content for use in the footwear industry. The polyurethane, containing polyols made via innovative RENUVA™ Renewable Resource Technology from Dow, incorporates 20 percent to 25 percent of raw materials derived from renewable sources. Specifically designed for footwear applications, this new product, once evaluated by the footwear industry, would be a step forward in bringing more environmentally sustainable practices to the shoe manufacturing process.
The project, called “Green Footprint,” was made possible by a grant from the European Commission’s 2008 LIFE+ program, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of goods and services and promotes “clean,” innovative technologies. Dow’s proposal was selected from among 325 submissions from other European industries and institutions in the category of Environmental Policy and Governance.
“Consumer interest in ‘green’ products is holding strong, even in today’s challenging economic climate, and footwear industry is increasingly adopting ‘green’ processes and materials,” said Giuseppe Vairo, Dow Polyurethane Systems. “Our new polyurethane can help to enable production of high quality shoes with less burden on the environment. It’s a way for manufacturers to stand apart from competition, and delight customers, especially given that polyurethane soles have long been recognized for exceptional comfort, flexibility and durability.”
The new polyurethane system potentially can offer a reduction of up to 25 percent in fossil fuels usage and energy savings of 13 percent, resulting in a reduced carbon footprint of 0.7 ton CO² per ton of PU produced. RENUVA™ Technology, which can help to enable high renewable content in the finished product, has been successfully introduced to other applications, such as furniture and bedding, automotive, carpet, and adhesives and sealants to meet the growing demand for more sustainable products.
Dow and Mondial Suole plan to run preliminary customer trials by mid-2009 and to begin broad market validation process in the first quarter of 2010. The polyurethane material is produced at Dow’s Correggio site, Italy.
