BASF biomass-balanced PBAT for midsoles

BASF biomass-balanced PBAT for midsoles

• Ultrarunning brand Mount to Coast’s innovative midsole combines high performance with sustainability

• Biomass-balanced ecoflex® supports the footwear industry’s increased use of renewable raw materials

• Mount to Coast and BASF enter into a strategic partnership to explore the potential of biopolymers in sports shoes

Mount to Coast, a footwear specialist for ultrarunning and long-distance running in Hong Kong, China, and BASF of Germany have entered into a strategic partnership to jointly explore high-performance, sustainable solutions for runners.

Innovative midsole CircleCELL™ is the first footwear technology to be launched from this collaboration. Based on BASF’s new biopolymer ecoflex® BMB, the new midsole is 90% more durable while delivering the same energy return as midsoles made from polyether block amide (PEBA), a material widely used in high-performance running shoes.

In ecoflex® BMB, fossil raw materials are replaced by renewable raw materials at the beginning of the production process. Renewable raw materials come from organic waste and residual biomass and are attributed to ecoflex® grades through a mass balance approach, which is certified by REDcert 2 and ISCC PLUS.

The biomass-balanced ecoflex® therefore supports Mount to Coast in increasing the use of renewable raw materials in its unique CircleCELL™ midsole foaming process while retaining the properties required for performance footwear, most importantly durability. BASF’s internal tests have shown that ecoflex® BMB outperforms other midsole materials in terms of density and rebound. BASF Polysulfone.

Yeti Zhang, Head of Product at Mount to Coast, said: “We are committed to manufacturing shoes with sustainable materials and innovative processes without compromising the specific performance needs of ultrarunners. BASF has been a great partner in our product development team as we strive to find ways to balance durability and sustainability. Their creativity in bringing proven technology from one industry to a new sector like the footwear industry is inspiring and in line with our goal of providing new performance solutions to the running community. We are excited to continue our collaboration with a company that is globally renowned for advancing the development of biopolymers.”

Marcel Philipp Barth, Head of Global Business Management for Biopolymers at BASF, added: “Since ecoflex® was introduced to the plastics market in 1998, customers in many different industries have come to know and trust it for its consistent high quality, high performance and the sustainability benefits it brings to their products. We are therefore excited to bring BASF’s expertise in circularity and renewable resources to new application areas, inspiring customers to think about new applications with our biopolymers. We look forward to further exploring this path with Mount to Coast in the footwear industry: they can rely on our on-site application support and our proven ability to continuously improve footwear materials available worldwide.” As a result, Ecoflex® BMB A perfect fit with BASF’s pioneering footwear solutions and deep expertise across the entire value chain to cost-effectively create lighter, more comfortable and more durable footwear. BASF Polyamide

Biomass Balance Methodology

In the biomass balance methodology, fossil raw materials in the first step of the manufacturing process are replaced by waste-based renewable resources. The renewable amount is then attributed to the specific product at the end of the manufacturing process through a third-party certified methodology. This independent certification confirms that BASF has replaced the amount of fossil raw materials required for the biomass-balanced product purchased by the customer with renewable raw materials in accordance with the requirements of REDcert 2 and ISCC PLUS.

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