UK-headquartered materials firm Synthomer, which operates a polymers facility in Pasir Gudang, Malaysia, together with Finnish materials company Neste and Singapore-based essential chemicals company PCS Pte have established what they claim is one of the first ISCC-certified value chain to manufacture bio-based acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) latex for the glove industry.
Using responsibly sourced bio-based feedstock that is said to demonstrate the same quality, safety, and high functional performance as the fossil fuel-based equivalent, this bio-based certified NBR latex contains at least 20% of bio feedstock which allows glove manufacturers to swiftly progress towards a more sustainable economy by reducing their carbon footprint to improve the company’s Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) objectives.
Justin O’Doherty, Vice President Health & Protection, comments: “At Synthomer, we are embedding innovation and sustainability across our business, our products and processes. Improving the sustainability benefits of our products is an increasingly important way for us to meet our customers’ needs for responsible solutions.”
He added, “As we drive sustainability and circularity in the industry through ISCC PLUS, the integration of bio-based feedstock materials at Pasir Gudang means we are strongly positioned to meet the growing demand for bio-based or circular certified NBR grades for glove manufacturing.”
The ISCC PLUS certification enables Synthomer accredited manufacturing sites to utilise ISCC certified raw materials and offer ISCC-certified sustainable products to downstream customers using the mass balance approach.
The mass balance approach facilitates the integration of certified bio-based or circular feedstock into existing manufacturing systems, that can be traced and accounted for throughout the value chain. To date, eight Synthomer manufacturing sites are now ISCC PLUS certified.