Oct 30 2008
Everyday across Japan millions of disposable wooden chopsticks are discarded after every meal in office lunchrooms, schools, and other eating venues. Now, Sanshin Kako, one of the country's leading professional use tableware manufacturers, is using SABIC Innovative Plastics high-performance Valox iQ 420 HP resin to deliver a more environmentally responsible product contributing to the three Rs - reduce, reuse and recycle.
Not only do Sanshin Kako’s plastic chopsticks conserve natural resources, but each kilogram of this resin uses up to .87 kilograms of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, which would otherwise sit in the landfill. These chopsticks are available in vivid, custom colors, offer a smooth surface as compared to easily splintered wood, and represent SABIC Innovative Plastics’ commitment to the global development of new technologies that help their customers overcome today’s environmental challenges.
“SABIC Innovative Plastics developed the iQ resin platform as part of our sustainability program focused on environmentally responsible solutions,” said Takashi Hata, president SABIC Innovative Plastics, Japan. “The use of Valox iQ resin for Sanshin Kako’s new line of chopsticks helped them achieve two environmental goals: the development of a product that is both reusable and made from upcycling post-consumer plastic bottles. By helping to remove 68.5 million (274 tons) discarded chopsticks per day from Japan’s waste incinerators and reducing the 2.5 million metric tons of PET that finds its way into landfills every year, the new line of plastic chopsticks helps Japan further its environmental initiatives.”
Reusable up to 1,000 Times
Thanks to the high performance, molded-in color capability of Valox iQ 420HP resin, Sanshin Kako’s chopsticks can be washed in automatic dishwashers and used up to 1000 times, compared to single-use wooden chopsticks. Further, SABIC Innovative Plastics’ iQ materials reduce CO2 emissions by over 50 percent compared to any other engineered thermoplastic in the marketplace – without sacrificing any physical properties.
Valox iQ 420 HP resin is a 30 percent glass-filled grade which offers superior stiffness, impact resistance and excellent processing. The resin also offers excellent aesthetics through custom color matching and in-mold color enabling Sanshin Kako to produce a wide range of chopsticks in blue, orange, red, yellow, purple and, of course, green.
Using this resin, Sanshin Kako’s product meets the requirement from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), and is certified as an Eco-mark product in Japan. Valox iQ 420HP resin also meets European requirements for food contact applications and is expected to be Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved in the United States in the coming months.
SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Valox iQ resins use a unique chemistry of upcycling post consumer PET bottles into polybutylene terepthalate (PBT) resin extending a single bottle’s life by up to 20 years.