Consumers are increasingly conscious of their personal carbon footprint in the products they buy and brands they support. This is driving flooring manufacturers and companies to prioritise sustainable materials in their goods However, many bio-based materials do not provide the same functionality or performance as fossil-based plastics. Providing a solution, UBQ Materials, the climate tech developer of advanced materials made from waste, has launched its Sustainability Product Portfolio.
The new comprehensive product portfolio of sustainable, bio-based materials encompasses three bio-based material replacements and sustainability additives as well as two modifiers. Each product line features unique and complementary properties, meticulously engineered to meet specific sustainability targets including waste diversion, circularity, increased post-consumer recycled content and emissions removal and avoidance.
"For those already exploring material alternatives, the trade-offs between sustainability and product performance are well-known. Incorporating minimal amounts of UBQ can help businesses achieve a carbon-negative status, providing a win-win scenario for sustainability and business," said Patricia Mishic O'Brien, CCO of UBQ Materials. "Sustainability is becoming an imperative for customers. Businesses incorporating UBQ are gaining a market advantage, enabling them to hit their sustainability goals while maintaining or improving upon their pricing power.”
The new material replacements and additives, all based on UBQ Materials’ globally patented waste-to-materials approach, are formulated to resolve performance challenges commonly encountered when integrating sustainable materials. The product lines are suitable as sustainability additives (10% to 30% load of UBQ-based material), or as material replacements (greater than 25% and higher load of UBQ-based material). This enables compounders and manufacturers to determine the right load level to balance consistent functionality with sustainability benefits.
“Sustainable product development has historically been hindered by material efficiency. Now compounders, product manufacturers and designers can focus on the upside opportunities of sustainability within their operations and product lines,” said Mishic O’Brien. “Our priority is to provide a full spectrum of functional sustainability options, and we are confident that our new product lines will both benefit our customers and also drive substantial business growth for UBQ Materials in the future.”
The product portfolio includes three bio-based sustainability additives and material replacements, each tailored for different sustainability needs, encompassing circularity, recyclability, low-carbon footprint, and climate-positivity:
• UBQ ClimaPos: A bio-based, climate-positive sustainability additive that enables greenhouse gas removal and avoidance and assists companies in achieving or surpassing ambitious climate objectives. With proven uses including planters, pet carriers, transport boxes, and window profiles, incorporating as little as 5%, ClimaPos can shift a product's carbon footprint to carbon neutrality.
• UBQ Q Series: The proven, standard material replacement known as UBQ, the Q Series is a one-to-one material swap that blends with most polymers. It can be used in wood composite and luxury vinyl flooring and is suitable for use on its own where final product characteristics permit.
• UBQ Industrial: A material replacement engineered for high-value function and reliability in operational uses, from shipping pallets in logistics to bitumen roofing or building infrastructure, UBQ Industrial is a cost-effective material choice when appearance matters less than functionality.
These primary formulations can be combined with additional modifiers or enhancers to achieve desired properties, optimising product development, and reducing guesswork for product manufacturing. Supporting formulations for additional benefits include:
• UBQ Nclozur: A sustainability modifier formulated for odoor mitigation, UBQ Nclozur is ideal for indoor and interior applications, which can include flooring, carpet backing and consumer products.
• UBQ Impact: An enhancer that blends with a range of polymer matrices to meet performance requirements, enabling business to bring climate-positive circularity to applications as diverse as decking, office furniture, and car-door mirrors.
By incorporating as little as 5% of a UBQ material replacement or additive, businesses can – whether in a single product application or across its supply chain – achieve greater circularity, carbon-neutrality or even carbon-negative/climate-positive status. By designing products with various load levels and capabilities, UBQ enables businesses to achieve productivity goals while transitioning away from fossil-based plastics.
Gil Felus, Chief Operations Officer and Chief Innovation Officer of UBQ Materials, said: "For years, we have worked with our customers through trials and application development. We’ve developed this portfolio to streamline the journey towards circular manufacturing practices. With this, sustainability to profitability becomes a simple equation.”
The company will work with its compounding partners, value chain manufacturers, brand partners and product development teams to tailor the ideal formulation for each specific application.
