FOR DESIGNERS CREATING A PATH TO SUSTAINABLE ABOUT … · hemp farm, for example. We use industrial hemp because it performs best in our materials. But our fiber expertise means we

CREATING A PATH TO SUSTAINABLE PLASTICS A

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Hemp Product of the Year 2019 Nova institute

SKAPA Innovation Award 2019 in memory of Alfred Nobel

Hemp Product of the Year 2019 Nova institute

SKAPA Innovation Award 2019 in memory of Alfred Nobel

Organic look Trifilon’s biocomposites looks different than compounds filled with mineral powders or short fibers from wood. Designers like the variety and speckling of our visible bast fibers, some of which are as long as 3 mm. That look also signals the technology behind it, which allows the fibers to add strength and stiffness. Our own treatment technology means the fibers have a more uniform, brighter color than other darker, dirtier biocomposites. Because it looks original, many designers like our biocomposites undressed.

Surface Finish Trifilon’s materials accommodate high polishes even for grades with the most bio-content. They hold a number of patterns and textures such as those achieved with EDM. Coloring Our materials achieve any color you like. It works with standard masterbatch pigments. We deliver uncolored base resins.

OpticsOur materials can be opaque when colored. They can be translucent at certain thicknesses and semi-transparent with thickness below 1 mm. They achieve a slight gloss on a highly polished surface even with higher fiber content.

HapticsOur plant fibers make slightly stiffer and stronger materials than pure plastics. But biocomposites feel warmer because of improved insulation properties and feel less oily or slippery and more like paper or wood.

SmellOur biocompisites have negligible VOCs at room temperature and smell less than conventional wood-based biocomposites.

ProcessingTrifilon delivers its biocomposites to manufacturers in bags of granulates that can be used in existing injection molding machines – no new infrastructure required. When molded the fibers are evenly distributed.

How do you show consumers fields, climates, oceans, and ecosystems when they make a purchase? With as much as 30 % of its content from the bast fibers of plants like hemp, Trifilon’s unique look and feel can communicate why it’s a more sustainable choice.

Greener Plastics | trifilon.com Greener Plastics | trifilon.com

Our biocomposites are translucent or semi-transparent at certain thicknesses.

Our biocomposites accommodate high polishes and a number of patterns and textures such as those achieved with EDM.

SURFACE FINISH

OPTICS

SHOW YOUR FIBERS

Trifilon’s materials achieve any color you like with standard masterbatch pigments. Trifilon delivers uncolored base resins.

COLORING

The surface of our composite can be speckled with fibers. Because of our treatment technology they achieve a lighter color than conventional biocompisites.

ORGANIC LOOK

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Greener Plastics | trifilon.com

DIFFERENT GREEN LOOKS

Trifilon BioLite®

Trifilon’s first commercial offering, BioLite, uses virgin polypropylene and hemp fibers. When molded any visible fibers are slightly shorter and more lightly colored than fibers in other competing biocomposites. Bio-Lite achieves any color with standard masterbatching.

Trifilon Switch®

Our starch-based grades called Trifilon Switch generally have high gloss and clarity. In our biocompo-sites they can be slightly smoother and offer a harder surface than our PP-based offerings. They achieve any color with standard masterbatching.

Trifilon Revo®

Trifilon Revo uses light-colored recycled PP, which allows for coloring with minimal restrictions compared to most other recycled plastics. The recycled grade is also reinforced with industrial hemp and can be designed to show the plant fibers.

Greener Plastics | trifilon.com

Dometic uses Trifilon BioLite to form the Dometic Coolfun SC 30B, a thermo- electric cooler. Dometic decided to show off the hemp fibers in the cooler’s shell and to brag about their visibility in product descriptions.

EPIC Travelgear uses Trifilon BioLite to form the Phantom BIO suitcase. Some models feature solid colors. Others show off fibers. The shell surface has some sections that are polished and some that are textured. DOMETIC COOLFUN

EPIC TRAVELGEAR

Trifilon’s current material offerings have different

design characteristics. The look and feel of a

final product is affected by the source of the base

resins – polypropylene, starch-derived, or recycled

plastics. It’s also affected by the fiber used for re-

inforcement in the biocomposite. We currently use

industrial hemp. Our fiber treatment means our

materials achieve much lighter colors than other

biocomposites.

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ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY

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Production PhaseBuying organic material from responsible farms in Northern Europe means Trifilon achieves drastic and immediate CO2 savings for many production processes. Trifilon strives to develop new feedstocks closer to home in the Nordics and to develop relationships and technolo-gies for using recycled plastic streams.

Using HempIndustrial hemp fibers are some of the strongest natural ones in the world. Unlike many feedstock crops, hemp is able to grow close to production facilities. Industrial hemp is an excellent CO2-to-bio-mass converter while growing and can be used for a wide range of applica-tions including food and nutritional products, cosmetics, biofuels, and textiles. While it was once stigmatized for association with its intoxicant cousin, industrial hemp is now enjoying a resurgence in Europe as it is easy to grow and extremely useful.

Use Phase

Quality – Our fiber treatment technology makes some of the best biocomposites on the market. They produce higher-quality products whose durability lowers consumer impact. It also means quality-oriented brands can consi-der greener options immediately.

Toxicity – Our materials have negligible VOCs at room temperature. We also consider migration rates. Our initial offering BioLite is certified as child-safe and is slated for food approval.

Weight – Our initial offering BioLite is typically ligh-ter than polypropylene that is reinforced with glass or minerals. That means at scale there are significant energy savings in transportation and processing. The WWF esti-mated that BioLite could save 9 grams of CO2 per km per 100 kg weight due to fuel savings if used in vehicles.*

*Source: WWF Climate Impact Calculation. June 2018

LIFE CYCLE

Trifilon evaluates the footprint of 1 kg of its materials using a number of impact categories to give you a solid basis for evaluating its sustainability merits in your application. Read here about why we think our biocomposites represent a best sustainable-option for many products on the market.

End-of-life PhaseLandfill/incineration – Where our biocomposites would be discarded in a landfill or incinerated for energy capture the bio-content represents an improvement over pure fossil-derived plastics.

Recycling – Our biocomposites are recycleable in hard plastic streams for most current recycling infrastructures. While bio-content may be regarded as a chemical taint in idealistic conceptions of recycling streams, its current use in consumer products is negligible and not a reason to rule out other environmental benefits.

Technologies currently exist for identifying biocomposites as a separate, dedicated waste stream. Trifilon is also dedicated to exploring ways to recapture its material – including through product “take-back” schemes – which may be mechanically reused. Trifilon works to build knowledge networks and economic incentives for such circular production practices.

WASTE PREVENTION

PREPARATION FOR REUSE

RECYCLING / COMPOSTING

OTHER RECOVERY

DISPOSAL

Biocomposites on the waste hierarchyTrifilon produces a high-quality material meaning consumer products using it last longer. At the end of useful life components made from our biocomposites may be recycled. In countries with no recycling, our biocomposites mean less petrochemicals are burned for energy recovery or accumulate in landfills.


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Trifilon SwitchTrifilon Switch is a family of biocomposites whose resins are starch-based PLA, made from responsibly-grown sugarcane and beetroot among other plants. To form Trifilon Switch biocomposites we reinforce the resin with industrial hemp. All main ingredients come from agricultural products. They’re also compostable. That means Switch is a plastic that comes from plants and that disappears after use.

Trifilon BioLiteTrifilon BioLite mixes a high grade polypropylene with industrial hemp fibers at fill rates from 10 to 30%. BioLite has excellent mechanical properties so it can be used immediately for a wide range of applications. It frequently reduces the weight of molded components, which is a reason it was named a “Climate Solver” by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Because it incorporates plant fibers, BioLite immediately reduces the CO2 footprint of the plastic component compared with pure plastics and those reinforced with glass fibers or minerals. Ask for our LCA to learn more.

Trifilon RevoOur recycled plastic grade, Trifilon Revo, uses a qualified source of post-industrial PP and hemp fibers to form high-quality biocomposites. Using recycled PP plus hemp means massive CO2 savings in the production process. Recycling waste PP into a new product fits into the ideals of the circular economy. Our sourcing and reinforcement process mean consistent performance and more uniform coloring, which make it suitable for a greater range of applications.

MATERIALS

Many new material technologies show promise in improving the sustainability metrics for different aspects of production. Here are some of our newer material families and why you might choose them.


TRIFILON’S BUSINESSOur business is finding ways to make greener plastic technologies commercially viable and dependable for manufacturing. That means we are not married to a single material ingredient. We don’t own an industrial hemp farm, for example. We use industrial hemp because it performs best in our materials. But our fiber expertise means we can also help manufacturers repurpose agricultural waste from their own production processes.

We develop materials that best satisfy manufacturing requirements while improving sustainability merits.

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BASE MATERIALGlass Fiber Composite

BIOLITENot considering carbon capture

BIOLITEWith carbon capture

BASE MATERIALPP Composite

BIOLITENot considering carbon capture

BIOLITEWith carbon capture

How much using BioLite can lower emissions Using BioLite lowers greenhouse gas emissions two ways:1) by replacing fossil plastics; 2) because hemp sequesters carbon. Graph is based on figures from the Nova Institute

SEQUESTRATIONHemp is one of the best CO2-to-biomass converters. Using hemp in production lines is as good as building thousands of carbon capturing machines

1 A savings of 34% is based on a CO2 equivalents (CO2e) footprint calculation for a BioLite grade containing 20 percent hemp fibers in comparison to pure polypropylene. The calculation considers CO2e emissions from cradle to customer’s gate and includes an estimate of carbon sequestration in the hemp fibers. In order to achieve these CO2 savings BioLite should be used in products with a long lifetime. Excluding carbon sequestration, which would apply to products with shorter lifetimes or no recycling possibilities, savings are 15% for BioLite (with 20% hemp fiber by mass) versus virgin polypropylene.

When BioLite is used to replace glass fiber plastics, the savings are estimated to be from 5 to 7% CO2e excluding the fiber sequestra-tion. If BioLite is unable to be recycled then disposal in a landfill or incineration for energy recapture would release sequestered carbon back into the air over time. The savings comparison is based on a footprint of 3.79 kg CO2e for pure polypropylene (Granta/Edupack). The savings figure assumes 1.39 CO2-equivalents due to the carbon sequestration of its hemp fibers (Nova Institute). The calculation was conducted under advisement from Sustain in Time. Please contact Trifilon for further details.

REASONS TO CHOOSE OUR MATERIALS:• replaces fossil-derived materials with plants from responsible sources

• reduces carbon footprint as much as up to 90%

• makes more durable products than other “green” materials

• gives customers green choices for more sorts of products

• best way to add value to your product and build brand equity


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FLAX

0.72

0.18

0.03

1.39

Cellulose

Hemicellulose

Lignin

Stored carbon dioxide

0.65

0.15

0.1

1.39

0.57

0.13

0.14

1.33

0.55

0.14

0.12

1.27

HEMP JUTE KENAF

MarketingTrifilon wants to bridge the “green gap” – the phenomenon of consumers thinking about sustainability but not choosing sustainability. We see education through social media, public relations, and ingredient branding in consumer products as a core part of our business. If our materials represent a first generation of sustainability then we want to pave the way for a second and third.

Material Energy NeedsHemp requires a fractional amount of energy compared to other materials. Unit: GJ/t. Source: Nova Institute

How much CO2 does natural fiber save?Hemp and flax, reinforcing agents used in Trifilon’s biocomposites, are especially good plants for sequestering carbon.

Units: kg CO2 / kg of fiber. Source: the Nova Institute

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100

150

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Carbon fiber PUR PES EPS PP Glass fiber Mineral wool Hemp fiber

GJ/t

ABOUT BIOLITE

” In this innovation or others like it serves above given share of the target market the global greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced with 10 000 000 ton co2e per year by 2028. This can be com-pared with the total emissions within Sweden of 53 million tonnes of co2e in year 2016”


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ABOUT MATERIALS

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There is a growing variety of polymer technologies that offer sustainability merits but all with trade-offs regarding performance and life-cycle aspects. Trifilon offers biocomposites with base resins of virgin PP, post-industrial recycled PP, and starch-based. We blend these with hemp fibers.

Our proprietary fiber treatment optimizes their bonds with the polymer matrices. That means our biocomposites are strong, high-quality blends compared with other bio-fiber offerings. Because of the inherent strength of the hemp fibers, our biocomposites outperform other fiber-based composites that are commercially available.

GREEN POLYMER TECHNOLOGIES

REINFORCEMENTAdding industrial hemp can improve the strength and stiffness of polymers while directly reducing the carbon footprint. And our biocomposites can be used immedi-ately for many applications.

Greener Plastics | trifilon.com Greener Plastics | trifilon.com Greener Plastics | trifilon.com

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GLASS FILLED PP

MINERAL FILLED PP

PC

WPCPP

HDPE

LDPE

First generation biocomposites can form structural components using lower-value ingredients, for example, sawdust. Our biocomposites use hemp, which provides some of the strongest natural fibers and whose plants are ideal crops for a bio-based feedstock as they are not food-and-feed competitive and can grow near most production sites. The chemical profile of hemp also allows for lighter and whiter colors and fewer discoloration problems than other bio-fiber technologies. Hemp causes no problems with VOC emissions.

Trifilon’s expertise is exploiting the strength of these natural fibers in polymer applications. Our flexible and modular process gives us great opportunities for tailoring the material to specific manu-facturing and sustainability needs.

FIBER

FIBER COMPARISON

DENSITY (G/CM3)

1.45

1.48

1.46

2.55

1.80

TENSILE STRENGTH [Mpa]

800-1500

550-900

400-800

2000-2400

3530

SPECIFIC STRENGHT

(MPa/g cm3)

550-1030

370-600

275-550

780-940

1900-2700

ELONGATION E(%)YES

1.5-2.0

1.6

1.8

3

1.5-2.1

SPECIFIC STIFFNESS

(GPa/g cm3)

38-52

27-44

7-21

27-29

128

STIFFNESS/ YOUNG’S MODULUS

(Gpa)

55-75

40-65

10-30

70-74

230

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Hemp

Jute

E-Glass

Carbon (T300-T700)


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TECHNICAL DATA

IM = Injection Molding EX = Extrusion

To get the latest material stock list. Go to: Trifilon.com

Family Name MFR

[g/10min]

ISO 1133

Density

[g/cm3]

ISO 1183

Tensile Modulus

[MPa]

ISO 527

Tensile Stress at Yeild

[MPa]

ISO 527

Tensile Strain at Yield

[%]

OSO 527

Tensile Stress at Break

[MPa]

ISO 527

Tensile Strain at Break

[%]

ISO 527

Charpy Impact Strength Notched

[kJ/m2]

ISO 179

Charpy Impact Strength

Unnotched[kJ/m2]

ISO 179

Hemp fiber Recycled Content

Compostable

ISO 20200

IM

Standard

BioLite1 6-13 0,94 1550 20 7 18 15 7 44 - -

BioLite2 4-11 0,97 2150 25 5 23 7,5 6,5 23,9 - -

BioLite3 2-9 1,01 2200 29 5 28 6 6 30 - -

Impact

BioLite4 5-12 0,93 1060 16 10 11 80 11,5 52,5 - -

BioLite5 7-14 0,93 1060 15 8 12 60 11 62 - -

BioLite6 7-14 0,93 1180 15,5 8 13 39 11 53 - -

BioLite8 3-10 0,97 1640 22 6 20 12,5 11 36 - -

Stiff

Flow

BioLite13 8 0,945 2232 28 - - 7,5 3 20 - -

BioLite14 5-12 0,98 2412 34 4 32 5 4 27 - -

BioLite15 13-20 0,93 2210 - - 33 5 2 20 - -

BioLite22 10-17 0,94 2160 - - 35 6 1,63 22 - -

BioLite23 5-12 0,98 2485 - - 38 5 2,1 23 - -

BioLite24 3-10 1,00 2640 - - 41 4,5 2,3 23 - -

BioLite17 8-15 0,95 1400 18 6 17 10 5 36 - -

BioLite30 20-27 0,94 1840 30 5,5 29 7 1,7 22 - -

IMStandard

Revo38 16-23 0,95 1430 20 9 18 15 5 36 -

Revo 40 15-22 0,95 1761 26 6 20 7,2 2,4 28 -

Revo 41 9-16 0,98 2076 30 5 28 6,2 3,3 26 -

Impact Revo35 12-19 0,94 1180 17 10 12 39 9 49 -

IMStiff

Switch19 32-39 1,27 3480 - - 37 1,6 1,2 18 -

Switch20 19-26 1,29 3790 - - 44 1,8 2,3 18 -

Switch21 11-18 1,29 3860 - - 44 1,8 2,1 18 -

Impact Switch25 20-27 1,26 2300 31 2,7 30 3,3 2,95 26 -

EXStandard Switch10 0,5 1,27 3480 53 2,5 53 2,5 2 20 -

Impact Switch11 0,6 1,26 2860 40 2,8 35 3,5 2,33 23 -

BioLite Revo

Switch

PRODUCT PROPERTIES SUSTAINABILITY

Biocomposites for injection molding | trifilon.com

Would you like to know more? Our sales office is located in central Stockholm.Send an e-mail to schedule an appointment.

Trifilon AB | [email protected]

Documents

FOR DESIGNERS CREATING A PATH TO SUSTAINABLE ABOUT … · hemp farm, for example. We use industrial hemp because it performs best in our materials. But our fiber expertise means we