The latest in wet areas: biobased resins
DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products today announced that Panasonic Corporation Eco Solutions Company has adopted biobased resins made with Susterra Propanediol for their new line of kitchen and bathroom systems.
Susterra propanediol is certified 100% biobased by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, making it attractive for companies seeking to add renewable content to their products. A peer-reviewed life cycle assessment (LCA) demonstrates that the production of biobased propanediol offers significant environmental benefits, including up to 40% less greenhouse gas emissions and 40% less non-renewable energy used in its production versus petroleum-based glycols.
The new integrated kitchen system, “Living Station,” and bathroom system, “Cococino,” both use biobased resins made with Susterra and are now available commercially through Panasonic Corporation Eco Solutions Co.
The new kitchen and bathroom systems were developed using Panasonic’s technology of compounding plant-derived and petroleum-derived resins. The resins, based on plant-derived Susterra, are used to manufacture the kitchen countertops in the “Living Station” product line and the bathroom ceilings in the “Cococino” product line.
For the first time in the Asia Pacific region, biobased resins were adopted as the building material for wet areas such as kitchens and bathrooms. The biobased materials also are used for the wash basins and toilets in the Panasonic product line.
“The quality requirement for wet area system materials is very high,” commented Kazumasa Rokushima, director of the General Technology & Products Development Center, Housing Systems Business Group at the Panasonic Eco Solutions Co. “We are delighted to be the first in the industry with a biobased commercialized product offering. This achievement contributes to Panasonic’s sustainability goals as outlined in ‘Green Plan 2018.’ The year 2018 is the 100th anniversary of the Panasonic Co.”
Panasonic Corporation Eco Solutions Company is part of the Panasonic Group with offices in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan.