Soleic
TPU SYSTEM

In terms of applications for product design, there is very little difference between Soleic® and similar petrochemical materials. We work directly with partners to develop formulations that adapt precisely to their needs. Because Soleic® biodegrades, our materials give designers an opportunity to design not only for the use of the product, but also for an environmentally-friendly end of life.

Biodegradation and durability are two separate properties. We design our materials to meet or exceed the performance metrics of their petroleum counterparts. That means Soleic® products are high quality and durable during their typical product lifetime and will only biodegrade under specific conditions. To biodegrade, our materials must be constantly exposed to a microorganism-rich environment containing water. Responsible disposal means being buried in soil or compost, though Soleic® materials will also degrade if they end up in the ocean. However, if your Soleic® products get dirty from mud or walks on the beach, washing and drying them like you would with your petroleum-based products will prevent biodegradation. 

The rate of biodegradation varies depending upon the environment that the material is placed in at the end of its use. Generally our materials fully biodegrade in 7 months to several years under home composting conditions.

Soleic® has proven to reduce GHG emissions and carbon footprint for material production compared to petrochemical materials. Based on a third-party life cycle assessment conducted by True North Collective, our materials result in up to 65% GHG emissions reductions compared to petroleum-based polyurethane. We contribute to both upstream and downstream Scope 3 reductions due to the plant-based, non-petroleum origins of our material technology, as well as its fully biodegradable end of life that reduces the Scope 3 impacts of plastic pollution and persistent microplastics.

Soleic® grades are USDA Certified Biobased Products. Soleic® TPU grades contain 56% to 76% USDA certified biobased content, Soleic® 1230C contains 57%, and Soleic® polyol LV-02 contains 100%, independently verified through the USDA BioPreferred® Program. We have multiple proprietary suppliers of plant oils, and take care to source as sustainably as possible. This means not competing with food sources or contributing to deforestation.

Soleic® grades are certified through the USDA BioPreferred® Program as USDA Certified Biobased Products. Soleic® TPU grades contain 56% to 76% USDA certified biobased content, Soleic® 1230C contains 57%, and Soleic® polyol LV-02 contains 100%. Algenesis also holds ISO 14001:2015 certification for its Environmental Management System, issued after a third-party audit. Our technology and performance claims are further supported by 17 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Links to these papers are available on our Science Hub.

Soleic® materials are biodegradable – we have demonstrated that they don’t persist in environments such as soil, compost, or ocean waters. Nevertheless, Soleic® does not condone littering! We recommend home composting your Soleic® product when you are done with it.

We continue to add strategic manufacturing and distribution partners in all regions to support our customers wherever they need to do business with Soleic® materials.

We are an agile organization and can tailor our support to meet the needs of the customer and opportunity in question. Our formulations and science team works directly with partners to adjust and adapt as needed throughout the transition process.

Soleic®’s team of industry veterans and scientists will work closely with you to fit our chemical systems to your product. We commit to showing up honestly for our partners throughout the process.