French chemicals supplier, Arkema, will spend about 25% of its global manufacturing capacity for Pebax® elastomers at its Serquigny factory in France to support its customers’ rapid development, particularly in sports and consumer goods markets.

By investing in Serquigny, France, Arkema announces a 25 percent increase in its global Pebax elastomer production capacity. Increased production of the bio-circular Pebax Rnew® and traditional Pebax ranges will be possible thanks to this investment.

Because of the lightweight, flexibility, and great energy return of these materials, this new capacity will create a variety of highly specialized grades to suit expanding demand in a number of demanding applications. These features are highly valued in sports equipment, such as running shoe soles, ski boots, or technical cloth, as well as consumer goods like smartphones and flexible screens and other markets like medical equipment.

Pebax Rnew innovative bio-circular materials, derived from renewable castor seeds, provide a long-term solution for their customers who are increasingly concerned about sustainability and social responsibility. These materials have a carbon footprint that is up to 50% lower than other elastomers on the market and can be entirely recycled. Furthermore, thanks to process optimization, this investment, which is set to go live in mid-2023, would reduce the water consumption of the site by 25%.

Erwoan Pezron, senior vice-president of Arkema's High-Performance Polymers Business Line, said that they’re very happy to commit to an expansion in their Pebax elastomers capacity. They are thrilled to add this new capacity to satisfy their customers' growing demand for high-performance sustainable materials at the Serquigny plant, which has a long proven record in the manufacturing of these sophisticated materials. Many of these materials will also be produced at their Birdsboro plant in Pennsylvania.