A project to investigate alternatives to PVC was supported by regional government

A project to investigate alternatives to PVC was supported by regional government

German toy makers have received government help to switch from using PVC in their products. The ministry of economics for the southern German region of Baden-Wьrttemburg provided approximately E200,000 funding for a joint project to investigate alternatives to PVC among children’s toy producers.

The investigation involved six manufacturers and was led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT). ICT project manager Marc Knoblauch-Xander told PRW.com there was a risk that PVC may be banned in children’s products and manufacturers needed a solution for the future.

The project investigated materials such as styrenic co-polymers and TPUs that could be substituted with minimal disruption to the manufacturing process. He said the objective was to find alternatives that would not extend the cycle time. The paintability of the new materials was also different, so surface pretreatment processes such as corona discharge were researched.

“Some of our partners have already switched to non-PVC products or nontoxic plasticisers,” Knoblauch-Xander said. The six companies involved were Fashy (making hot water bottles, sandals, flip-flops), John (sport and gymnastic balls), Friedola Gebr. Holzapfel (paddle ponds, dinghies, inflatable toys), Zapf Creation (dolls), Bullyland (comic and animal figures) and Schleich (comic and animal figures).