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A breath of fresh air: eco-friendly, safer plastic foams

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Alve-One® improves the sustainability profile of foamed plastics

Foamed plastics are everywhere: from building and construction, to footwear, cars and packaging. Azodicarbonamide, or ADCA, is a chemical used to make foamed thermoplastics. Manufacturers across a multitude of industries are eager to find non-toxic alternatives.

A safe alternative to toxic chemicals

To meet that need, Solvay has developed Alve-One®, a sustainable and 100% safe foaming alternative. Sodium bicarbonate makes it harmless for human health. It has a direct link to Solvay’s founding in 1863.

Ernest and Alfred Solvay created a new method to make this inorganic compound. Manufacturers use this compound in food, animal feed, and medicine. People also use it for flue gas treatment and many other industrial and home uses.

When used as baking soda, it releases the gas that makes cakes fluffy. This is the principle a Solvay team used to create Alve-One® for the plastics industry. They applied eco-design, which focuses on reducing environmental impacts during a product’s lifecycle.

Replacing ADCA with Alve-One® has many benefits. Workers in plants are no longer exposed to a dangerous and explosive chemicals making plastic foams safer. End users also benefit. They are free from harmful volatile organic compound, or VOC, emissions. This is important in places like car interiors.

The automotive industry is highly interested in this sustainable alternative to ADCA. Plastic foam helps reduce vehicle weight. This is important for lowering CO2 emissions. Finding a way to do this without harming passengers' health is the best solution.

As more people and companies look for alternatives to hazardous chemicals, the market is increasingly eager to switch to a safer, sustainable solution like ours.

Jorge Kabbabe, Global Technical Director, Plastic Foaming Solutions, Solvay

Involving the whole value chain

After a fast development of just two years, the team officially launched Alve-One® in 2019. Agile methodology enabled a much quicker than the usual timeframe compared to five to ten years time. Since then, sales have begun to rise, especially in places like Turkey and Brazil. We see this growth in the automotive, building and construction, and artificial leather industries. 

The market wants this solution, and it views it as a sustainable choice. To succeed, we must involve the entire value chain.

That’s why we have formed important partnerships. This helps us align with major trade names and their suppliers. Our technical support is there to support them throughout the adoption of our solutions for their applications.

The problem with launching a new solution in a well-established market is that it takes time to gain support. "There are many countries where customers want to know more about Alve-One®. We need to educate them and raise awareness," says Jorge Kabbabe, Business Development Manager for Plastic Foaming Solutions.

Pedro Pinto, the Global Market Manager for Plastic Foaming Solutions, says this product is still unique in the market. This can be scary for customers. More people and companies want safer options instead of harmful chemicals. The market is ready to adopt a sustainable solution like ours. 

The artificial leather market for example is poised for continued expansion, driven by a confluence of consumer preferences, technological advancements, and industry demand. By using new solutions like Alve-One®, manufacturers can meet changing market needs. They can also help create a more sustainable and ethical future.

 

Applications in the Artificial Leather Market:

Manufacturers usually make this leather from foamed flexible PVC. By formulating with Alve-One®, manufacturers can:

  • Enhance product quality: Achieve consistent foaming performance, resulting in improved cellular structure and enhanced material properties.
  • Improve sustainability: Minimize environmental impact and contribute to a more sustainable manufacturing process.
  • Meet regulatory requirements: Comply with increasingly stringent regulations related to chemical safety and environment protection.

Key Benefits with Alve-One® 

  1. Enhanced Safety: Non-hazardous and requires no special handling or storage conditions. This significantly improves workplace safety for manufacturers.
  2. Reduced Environmental Impact: Its production boasts a significantly low environmental footprint. Moreover, its decomposition residues are harmless, consisting mainly of sodium carbonate and water. This aligns with the growing emphasis on circular economy principles.
  3. Improves indoor air quality: By significantly reducing the release of VOCs. This reduction happens during the foaming process and from the final artificial leather product. This is crucial for enhancing indoor air quality and creating healthier living spaces.
  4. Technical Feasibility: Our experts created it as a safe and sustainable alternative. You can use it in many applications, including making artificial leather. Compatible with existing polymeric formulations, it delivers comparable foaming performance.
  5. Economic Viability: We expect the total cost of using Alve-One® to compete with existing exothermic solutions. Benefits may come from optimizing formulation and / or process conditions.

 
An award-winning eco-friendly solution

Many organizations recognize Alve-One® as a sustainable alternative to foamed plastics. These include the International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec) and the Solar Impulse Foundation, which called it an Efficient Solution. Inovyn also honored it with an Innovation Award in 2019.

Many people see that Alve-One®, as Pedro says, is “a sustainable solution. It has a positive impact on people, the environment, and business with more to come.”

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