Clariants regulatory foresight and pigments with enhanced product safety features give customers the competitive edge
Article Type: New products From: Pigment & Resin Technology, Volume 40, Issue 2
Clariant presents masterbatch producers, plastics processors and designers with a unique opportunity to anticipate regulatory evolution and respond to the latest environmental and cutting-edge trends with one of the widest selections of colorants available from across the color spectrum.
At K 2010, Clariant Business Unit Pigments highlights pigment innovations,and its unmatched global technical expertise in helping customers to address the ecology, safety and efficiency challenges facing their business.
Initiatives include its on-going commitment to prepare customers well in advance for changes in the regulatory landscape and provide products that enable compliance with a broad range of regulations, such as CONEG, FDA, GB9685-2008,AP (89)1 and EN 71-3, to mention a few. As a result of Clariant’s forward-looking approach, customers can gain a competitive edge by being more efficient in bringing safer, compliant product innovations to the market:
Leadership in REACH registration. Clariant is leading five out of seven pigment consortia tasked with registering several pigment groups under Phase I of REACH legislation by November 30, 2010. This recognizes Clariant’s extensive knowledge and expertise of the toxicological, eco-toxicological and physical chemical properties of organic pigments, built over the course of more than 40 years. Clariant has registered all the pigments for Phase 1 and is pleased to report that Quinacridone pigments, an important class of high-performance organic pigments, were granted registration on July 16, 2010 and an other important class of organic pigments, the diarylide yellow pigments were granted registration between September 2, 2010 and September 8, 2010.
Leadership in product safety. Clariant was also among the first pigments’ producers to foresee future restrictions regarding lead chromate,helping customers to replace lead chromate containing pigments with safer organic pigments in Europe and in North America. Thanks to Clariant’s experience and a wide product range it now supports customers in many emerging markets who are in the process of replacing lead chromate pigment and where this process is gathering momentum. Our products combined with our application expertise allow customers to market safer products in consumer goods, toys and other applications without sacrificing performance and aesthetics.
In line with its strong heritage in product safety, Clariant is focusing on supporting customers in the construction and electrical and electronics (E&E)sectors who are moving away from halogenated resins for safety and ecology reasons. Clariant markets a broad range of non-halogenated pigments under its established ranges – Graphtol® and PV Fast®. These non-halogenated pigments are suitable for most thermoplastics including polyamide, polyester, elastomers and polyolefins, and provide many opportunities for using color as a strong differentiator without compromising the safety attributes of the final product.
“Plastics markets are undergoing extensive change with an increasing emphasis on environmental and health considerations without compromising on design and performance,” comments Marco Cenisio, Head of BU Pigments at Clariant. “We are pleased to demonstrate to K 2010 visitors how our pigments – offering one of the widest selections of colors available on the market – respond in an efficient way not only to the ecology and safety challenges facing our customers, but create new opportunities for them to innovate and penetrate new markets and applications.”
The RENOL-compostable product line includes masterbatches based on over 80 different pigments, so color choices are almost unlimited. CESA-compostable additive masterbatches include UV-stabilizer and antioxidant packages, with more additives currently pending review.
AIB Vinçotte is an independent testing organization that has developed certification programs for compostable and bio-based products. Any product featuring the “OK compost” logo can be assumed to comply with the requirements of the EU Packaging Directive (94/62/EEC), which seeks to limit packaging waste. The “OK compost” certificate indicates conformity with approved production procedures and guarantees that only colorants and additives that pass strict testing for ecotoxicity are added to the biopolymer carrier resin.
“When companies first began looking at biopolymers they could boast that their products were made from materials based on natural and renewable feedstocks,” Kammler recalls, “but while the matrix resin might have been compostable or biodegradable, the colorants and additives were not. So,three years ago, Clariant introduced the first commercial line of all-natural color and additive masterbatches, featuring active ingredients made entirely from renewable resources. Colors included red, orange, yellow, and green,derived mainly from plants, but choices continue to be limited and light and process stability can be an issue in certain applications. Recently, the new RENOL-compostable and CESA-compostable masterbatches give users an attractive middle ground: the performance and cost benefits conventional colorants and additives in a formulation that does not change the compostability of products made of the bio-based resins.”
Clariant has been producing masterbatches for Novamont’s Mater-Bi biopolymer since 1995, with significant volumes used in black agricultural films and also in shopping and garbage bags made from the material. Application targets for the new products include packaging and single- or limited-use products like plastic utensils, drink cups and pens, where bio-based resins,such as PLA, currently are being specified.
Clariant masterbatches products are marketed under the following global brand names: REMAFIN® olefinic masterbatches and compounds; RENOL®masterbatches and compounds based on engineering resins, styrenics and PVC; CESA®additive masterbatches; HYDROCEROL® chemical foaming and nucleating agents; OMNICOLOR® universal color masterbatches;MEVOPUR® color and performance masterbatches and compounds for medical and pharmaceutical applications.
These brand names and ENIGMA® are all registered trademarks and ColorWorks™ and ColorForward™ are trademarks of Clariant. Mater-Bi® is a registered trademark of Novamont S.p.A.
