The sports and leisure sector is increasingly adopting bioplastics for the manufacture of equipment, accessories and packaging. These materials offer an ideal combination of lightness, strength and flexibility, meeting the requirements of sporting goods such as rackets, footwear and fitness equipment.
The quest for specific long-term performance often leads to the use of non-biodegradable biobased polymers, such as biobased PAs for mechanically stressed parts, or bioelastomers (TPU, TPE) for applications requiring shock resistance, abrasion resistance or flexibility (footwear, etc.).
ADVANTAGES
- Compatible with existing processes
- Lightweight and strong
- Mostly biobased
- Biodegradability depending on application
- Potential improvement in environmental footprint
- Unique design incorporating by-products
In some cases, the use of biodegradable polymers can be an advantage if the use of the products leads to potential abandonment in nature (golf tees, hunting cartridges, etc.).
The use of compounds filled with by-products is also increasingly in demand, due to the potential visual differentiation of finished products.