Taiwanese silicone product manufacturer General Silicones (GS) joins the ranks of plastic-free leather producers with its offering of vegan leather made of silicone rubber – an eco-friendly take to traditional faux leather that is made of petroleum-based materials like PVC.
The raw material for silicone rubber used for GS’s vegan leather is derived from natural silica. Likewise, silicone has been established as non-toxic, durable, and environmental-friendly. Over their lifecycle, silicone products reduce more carbon dioxide emissions than created during the manufacturing process. Additionally, silicone rubber is resistant to cold and heat, chemicals, and solvents. All coloring additives for the vegan leather production are created in masterbatches tested by SGS to pass FDA / RoHS / REACH requirements to be environmentally friendly.
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GS provides clients its patented Compo-SiL technology, which allows shipping vegan leather in rolls to facilitate transport and storage. Manufacturers of textile products and other products using roll-to-roll manufacturing processes can easily integrate Compo-SiL vegan leather raw material into their production line using standard adhesives.
“No modification of the production line is needed to quickly incorporate vegan leather made by GS into existing mass production processes. Vegan leather from GS is unique in providing an easily scalable solution to support the fast-growing demand for sustainable vegan leather solutions,” GS stated.
In a related development, GS has announced that its silicone rubber sheet products, including Compo-SiL silicone rubber sheets, are now available in medical grade quality with certified antibacterial properties. The sheets are shipped in rolls that can be stored, cut, and applied using roll-to-roll processes or individually using standard adhesives in existing product lines for mass production.