Meet our challenge solver - Lucas Almeida

Challenge

The rising number of vehicles on our roads comes with a significant environmental cost. Despite the shift to electric or biofuel options, manufacturers are increasingly looking to switch to sustainable alternatives for the production of rubber components.

Our principal Klabin – one of the largest Brazilian paper producers – successfully developed an environmentally friendly and technically viable alternative sourced from lignin. Lignin is known as the second most abundant biopolymer on Earth and, as a by-product generated during paper production with valuable characteristics that can potentially be applied in rubber manufacturing. How did we, as their distribution partner, support them to promote the product?

Solution

Antioxidants prevent rubber tires from degrading due to constant wear and tear. Klabin realized that lignin could be used for the same purpose. Our commercial and application development teams worked with the principal to explore this solution further.

Our experts analyzed the lignin-based solution and established that it is an ideal alternative to the commonly used antioxidant in several rubber formulations. While the latter is sourced from petroleum, this solution – called Caltiox L – serves as a full replacement and has a nearly 80% lower carbon footprint! This finding inspired our marketing strategy and we began promoting this sustainable alternative with customers – generating significant interest – while our technical teams supported with end application and testing.

Furthermore, our interactions with customers coupled with our market knowledge enabled us to anticipate challenges and identify opportunities to further improve the product.

Our partnership with Klabin supplemented our portfolio with a natural, renewable, sustainable alternative to petroleum-based antioxidants – reinforcing our commitment to contribute to minimizing the impact of our offering on the environment.