Kuraray’s Hook-and-Loop Fastener Made with Recycled Bottles Receives RCS Certification

TAGS:  Sustainability and Bioplastics   

Kuraray Fastening Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kita-ku, Osaka; President: Takayuki Kobayashi) acquired the internationally recognized recycled material label standard Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) certification for the recycled type of MAGIC TAPE™ hook-and-loop fastener, which uses recycled raw materials.

Background

• Amid rising interest in environmentally friendly products in recent years, various certification schemes have been established and adopted for fiber products and their manufacturing processes, giving due consideration to such issues as environmental safety, labor, and corporate governance.
• RCS certification is an internationally recognized certification system for the objective assessment of recycled material content in products and its traceability through the supply chain, from raw material to finished product.
• In November 2022, Kuraray Fastening launched recycled type of MAGIC TAPE™ made from polyester fiber produced utilizing used plastic bottles as a raw material. Through the KE’KEN Textile Testing & Certification Center, the product has now received RCS certification from the Textile Exchange, which is based in the U.S. state of Texas. In line with this, transaction certificates (TCs) are issued based on TC requests from users, and it is possible to use the product as an RCS-certified product.

Product Features

• About 30% of the product by weight is polyester fiber that is produced utilizing used plastic bottles as a raw material.
• Conventional manufacturing methods for these kinds of fasteners use urethane resin for a back coating agent, preventing them from becoming a mono-material. Because this new product is 100% polyester and does not use back coating agents, the product itself is recyclable.
• Organic solvents are not used, and the production generates about 30% less in CO₂ emissions from manufacturing processes (compared with the company’s conventional processes).
• It is produced in Japan at Kuraray Fastening’s Maruoka Plant in Fukui Prefecture.

Overview of the Product