Polaris: bio-based alternative to polyurethane

Traditional polyurethane is a synthetic polymer made with petrochemicals and toxic isocyanates and is hard to recycle. 

Polaris™, developed by Matereal beginning with non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) for adhesives and coatings is a biobased alternative to polyurethane made with renewable resources like plants, recycled monomers, carbon emissions, and no isocyanates and can drop into traditional manufacturing.

Polaris can find applications in 

• Coating and laminations: Hot melt, extrusion coatings, and knife coatings for textiles and leather.
• Adhesives: Hot melt, thermal-type adhesives for sheet and web, seam tapes, and stitchless glue.
• Injection molding: Thermoplastic (TPU) chips and flake.

Key features of technology:

• Bio-based
• Lower carbon
• Lower toxicity: USEtox shows 700,000x safer than conventional polyurethane
• Flexible end-of-life options, including recyclable and biodegradable formulations
• Scalable process and customization available