MALMÖ, Sweden - RENOLIT, a provider of high-quality plastic films, has completed the switch of all U.S. production for its signage and graphics market product range to the non-phthalate plasticizer Pevalen™, produced by Perstorp. It is the first company in this sector to make the move away from phthalates to a more sustainable additive.

Ralph Gut, Business Unit Manager RENOLIT, commented, “We believe this switch is well-timed both from an environmental and safety aspect. It takes our compliance beyond the tough existing safety regulations and responds to the increasing consumer demand for greater sustainability. In making this switch, we have gained a clear competitive advantage in this market.” He continued, “Our high-quality signage and graphics products make a significant difference to many of our customers, which are developed with both their processing requirements and end-use performance in mind.”

American RENOLIT, a subsidiary of the RENOLIT Group, is based in La Porte, Indiana. The films produced that the La Porte facility are the ideal face stock for numerous pressure-sensitive applications. Products customized with RENOLIT films are used for indoor and outdoor advertising and branding, vehicle graphics, architectural graphics, product identification, and other technical applications.

Renaat Demeulemeester, President of American RENOLIT, said, “Given the diversity of the product portfolio, switching from a phthalate to non-phthalate plasticizer took first-class planning, development resources and sufficient time to ensure the smoothest possible transfer. This could not have been achieved without the support from both Perstorp and our valued customer base. American RENOLIT worked closely with its customers, evaluating multiple processing and performance criteria, supported by Perstorp, which committed considerable resources to product testing, processing and logistics.”

RENOLIT tested several non-phthalate plasticizers before choosing Pevalen in 2017. Pevalen came out on top, offering excellent and customizable performance properties, including greater sustainability. RENOLIT’s customer trials went well; several customers were impressed with four key areas of product improvement – UV stability, shrinkage, colors and printability. Pevalen also delivers excellent processing properties, which were important in RENOLIT’s decision to choose Pevalen.

Pevalen’s properties are also giving RENOLIT a critical sustainability advantage, as they consistently lower the environmental impact of signage and graphics products by providing plasticizing efficiency and the lowest volatility and migration properties. Pevalen already offers a significantly lower CO₂ footprint than any other non-phthalate on the market, being produced using biogas energy, which combined with the sustainable properties, makes it an excellent choice for the environment. 

The RENOLIT Group is a specialist in high-quality plastic films, sheets and other plastic products with more than 30 locations in over 20 countries.

Perstorp is a global leader in bio-based polyols and intends to produce Pevalen, in the future, from renewable raw materials that will be certified, allowing customers to pass on the CO₂ savings to their customers. It already has the ambition to be the first chemical company to become Finite Material Neutral. This will provide an even stronger environmental competitive advantage for Perstorp and RENOLIT in the future. Ralph Gut summarized, “RENOLIT sees incrementally improving our sustainability profile as a clear win. We believe the continuing strategic partnership with Perstorp, and their proactive development of renewable solutions, gives us a clear commercial edge in the U.S.”