LCA demonstrates environmental benefits of BASF’s new Haptex synthetic leather

A comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of BASF’s revolutionary synthetic leather solution Haptex® demonstrates the significant environmental benefits in comparison to alternative synthetic leather solutions. The LCA was conducted by a leading Total Quality Assurance provider- Intertek.

Yunlong Ma, General Manager, Green Initiatives, Intertek, said that by conducting an LCA at such a young point in the production process, they are allowing life cycle factors to be brought in. This helps OEMs and their customers, such as footwear, automobile, and furniture makers, choose the proper material for their next innovation, such as Haptex, which has proved considerable environmental benefits.

The LCA is based on  a study of Haptex’s entire value chain, from chemical manufacture through final leather goods. It was also estimated and measured how well the greenhouse effect, cumulative energy demand, and water usage performed.

Haptex outperformed synthetic leathers from solvent-based and waterborne-based synthetic leather processes in terms of carbon emissions, according to the LCA analysis. For example, while employing 1KG of chemicals for synthetic leather manufacture, Haptex was proven to produce 52% less greenhouse gas emissions than conventional synthetic leather, as well as more than a 20% reduction in energy consumption. This is mostly due to the removal of the wet line from the manufacturing process, which saves 30% more water than traditional solvent-based polyurethane manufacturing methods.

The findings showed that Haptex is a more environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic leather in products such as car seats, furniture, footwear, and fashion accessories such as bags and caps.

Haptex is a revolutionary polyurethane solution for synthetic leather manufacturing that has great peel strength, anti-yellowing, and abrasion resistance. No organotin catalysts or plasticizers are used by Haptex.

The product has been further refined in partnership with Warren Synthetic Leather (Suzhou) Co., Ltd and Suzhou Greentech Co., Ltd to improve its performance while still meeting high VOC criteria.

Minli Zhao, Vice President, Consumer Industry, Performance Materials Asia Pacific, BASF, said that the report comes at a time when brands and OEMs are under increasing pressure to improve their sustainability efforts by using alternative and animal-free leather in their goods. As a result, we must provide concrete information to their clients about environmental emissions and how they are lowering their CO2 footprint. With this study, Haptex has demonstrated that it is more sustainable than other conventional synthetic leather solutions while also meeting the various traditional requirements from OEMs and brands to produce durable, stylish, and environmentally conscious products.