FOSSIL MATERIALS AND PETROLEUM DERIVATIVES REPLACED

In the last few years, attention to the environment has grown and become an important value for dealers in various sectors. Fashion is also increasingly on the side of ecology, a result of the work of all sectors and the commitment of the stylists, fundamental allies in this battle which must be won. The chemical industry is doing its bit, although it is always carefully controlled; the battle is led by historic brands, including those from our sector.

Industrie Chimiche Forestali (ICF) and the ECOINNOVATION project ICF is already committed to the vast and complex environmentally friendly universe with the ‘Zero emissions’ project and has recently developed a new range of toe-puffs and counters named BIOSTICK. The aim is to also minimize the environmental impact ofthese products, at the same time offering very high performance from all points of view. The BIOSTICK family is the first result of a wider project named ECOINNOVATION, which ICF intends to develop involving the most demanding producers and, at the same time sensitive to the environmental aspect. The idea arose from a simple but brilliant perception – replace the component made of fossil/petroleum derivatives (plastics) with products of natural origin. The company succeeded in using more than 90% of natural materials, replacing the plastic component, by using the co-extrusion technique. The features of the new article are still high in mechanical, workability and performance terms – goodheat-seal properties, a high level of shaping, starting at 80°C, and high resistance over time of all the physicalmechanical aspects. The availability of different thicknesses enables it to be used for various types of footwear. The project was coordinated by INESCOP (a Spanish research institute), with the decisive contribution of ICF, Merquinsa (a famous brand for TPU), Resimal and Pedro Garcia.