Arkema has announced a 25 per cent increase in its global Pebax elastomer production capacity by investing in Serquigny in France. The investment will notably enable increased production of the bio-circular Pebax Rnew and traditional Pebax ranges. Arkema is a specialty chemicals and advanced materials company headquartered in Colombes, near Paris, France.

This new capacity will produce a variety of highly specialised grades to meet growing demand in numerous demanding applications thanks to the lightweight, flexibility and excellent energy return of these materials. These properties are particularly appreciated in sports equipment, such as soles for running shoes, ski boots or technical textile, in consumer goods such as smartphones and flexible screens, as well as in other markets such as medical equipment, the company said in a press release.

Derived from renewable castor seeds, Pebax Rnew advanced bio-circular materials offer a sustainable solution to our customers who are increasingly driven by sustainability and social responsibility. Compared to other elastomers on the market, these materials have a carbon footprint that is up to 50 percent lower and can be fully recycled. In addition, this investment, which is scheduled to come on stream mid-2023, will lower the water consumption of the site by 25 percent thanks to process optimisation.

“We are very excited to commit to an expansion in our Pebax elastomers capacity. The Serquigny plant has a long-proven legacy in the production of these advanced materials, and we are delighted to add this new capacity to support our customers’ growing demand for high-performance sustainable materials. We will also continue to produce many of these materials at our Birdsboro plant in Pennsylvania,” Erwoan Pezron, senior vice-president of Arkema’s high performance polymers business line said in a statement.