Daily CSR
Daily CSR

Daily CSR
Daily news about corporate social responsibility, ethics and sustainability

Olympic Banners To Be Made With New Polyolefin-Based Recyclable Fabric



08/31/2020

After the events’ completion, Toppan and Dow have plans of collecting the signage and banners made out the new fabric material and upcycling them to give shape to various products.


Dailycsr.com – 31 August 2020 – Banners and signage play an important part when it comes to the unique feel or look involved to any major sports event, “especially the Olympic Games”. This customisation enhances the experiences besides contributing to the atmosphere for the athletes as well as the fans.
 
The “Official Chemistry Company” for Olympic Movement, Dow has collaborated with Toppan Printing, a Japanese company, for creating a fabric with the use of “few layers of different plastics” and other material not easily recyclable in order to give a second life to the materials “long after the closing ceremony”.
 
Toppan Printing selected the “VERSIFY™ Elastomer Technology” of Dow for creating a new fabric which will be based on PO, polyolefin, to be used in temporary banners. Plastic in all its parts, such as “membrane, mesh, eyelet, yarn” and so on, consists of polyolefins, while the new fabric will contain “well-dispersed inorganic materials as filler”. Since, the fabric will consist of “only one type of plastic”, it will be easier to recycle in comparison to “traditional tarpaulin” which are usually “used for banners”.
 
After the events’ completion, Toppan and Dow have plans of collecting the signage and banners made out the new fabric material and upcycling them to give shape to various products. During this process, the signage and banners will undergo re-palletization “as a renewable resin”, then it will be “blended with timber” gathered from wood waste in order to create “wood-plastic composite materials”. The said material will then be used to create floors, benches among other such products. In the words of the Dow Olympic & Sports Solutions’ Director for Sustainability and Technology, Nicoletta Piccolrovazzi:
“This initiative is a great example of combining Dow’s materials science expertise with our customers’ market insights to create an outcome that is great for the environment. Together, we can help the Olympic Games be even more sustainable. Working hand-in-hand with Toppan Printing, we developed this polyolefin-based fabric especially for Tokyo 2020 to address the growing need to give plastic a second life.”
 
The fabric will enhance the product of Toppan Printing amid “excellent optics” whereby generating a “display surface” with “sparkle” and “excellent clarity”. Furthermore, the Information & Communication Division’s Manager for Technical Strategy and Development at Toppan, Seiji Furuya added:
“This project with Dow has enabled us to push beyond the traditional use and end-of-life of our products. Recycling these Tokyo 2020 banners will showcase how collaborations such as ours can help society shift away from single-use plastics and reduce the amount of materials destined for incineration or landfills, to create something entirely new.”
 
 
 
References:
3blmedia.com