Plant-based nylon is a significant step forward for the product, the industry, the consumer and most importantly, the planet. It drastically reduces the carbon footprint of our most used material by up to 47 per cent. And every ton of plant-based oil used instead of geological oil is equivalent to removing one car from the road for a whole year.
The castor plant is part of the natural biogenic carbon cycle, which means the energy used in producing the raw material (the castor plant) is solar and not carbon-emitting. And because it’s a plant, not a rock, it removes carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis.
Castor plants are a monsoon crop, taking advantage of India’s natural weather phenomenon. The crop is inherently drought resistant, doesn’t cause deforestation, is not in competition with the animal or human food chain, is insect resistant, and can be harvested 4-6 months after planting.
Our plant-based nylon frames are made from Castor oil farmed under the Pragati project initiative. This program has trained thousands of farmers on agricultural best practices, resulting in a yield increase of approximately 50% since its inception in 2016. A total of 45 villages have participated in soil and water testing, and over 5,200 hectares of castor farming now adhere to sustainable practices under the Pragati project.
It means that the material comes from a renewable plant source, the castor plant, and is not a fossil-fuel-based resource. Combined with 3D printing, plant-based polymers dramatically reduce the product’s carbon footprint, reducing waste and environmental impact.
The base material for PA 11 is the castor plant. The seeds (often referred to as beans) get processed into plant oil, then converted by Arkema using their Amino11 chemistry into a high-performance polymer.
Yes, it’s a plant-based nylon that uses 47% less carbon to produce than the industry standard 3D printed material PA 12. It is also made in part of recycled material by appropriating waste from production processes.
Yes, but not yet at the end consumer level, the recycling happens at the manufacturing level taking material waste from industrial processes and recycling and reusing it back into the material.
