MacLellan Rubber advances sustainable rubber materials

Wolverhampton, UK – MacLellan Rubber is set to release a new series of rubber sheeting materials which it claims “are more sustainable and more environmentally friendly than anything else available in the market.”

To be sold under the EnviroPolymer brand, the rubber sheeting is produced from sustainably sourced raw materials which “we are targeting to be 95% renewably sourced,” MacLellan recently announced.

Early tests, it said, show the product will provide excellent mechanical properties, are REACH- and RoHS-compliant, PAH-free and have chemical resistance in line with MacLellan’s existing high-grade materials.

In a separate release, the Wolverhampton-based company highlighted its work with reactive functional filler (RFF) products developed by UPM BioChemicals.

The RFF additives, produced from hard wood, offer “some startling benefits in addition to its low carbon footprint and renewable base,” according to MacLellan’s statement.

The positive characteristics are said to include: reduced compound density; non-conductive properties; vibration damping; high wear resistance; being PAH-free; and compliance to rubber and plastic consumer products with EU regulation 1272/2013.

“Development trials have demonstrated that in these approaches the technical performance of the finished material is as good, and in some areas better, than standard compounds using carbon black,” said MacLellan.