Vibracoustic progresses ‘green rubber project’

Darmstadt, Germany – Vibracoustic has advanced a strategic project to sustainably source, manufacture and recycle the rubber materials used in its products.

The ‘green rubber project’, said the company 11 May, is a programme to “find, validate and utilise” sustainable materials, processes, and technologies.

The initiative will be implemented throughout Vibracoustic’s global production network, said the German-based supplier of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) systems.

Under the programme initiated in 2016, the group's ‘materials technologies team’ has developed guidelines for enhancing the sustainability of rubber used by Vibracoustic.

“Through rigorous research and testing, the team was able to develop rubber compounds with up to 75% sustainable content without any compromise in performance, durability, or manufacturing,” it added.

An area of clear interest was natural rubber (NR), particularly as it can reduce reliance on synthetic rubber and cut CO2 footprint, according to the manufacturer.

With the shift to NR, the team focused on “closely monitoring” sourcing of the materials, to estimate the environmental impact and human rights conditions of producers.

Vibracoustic, therefore, has invested in materials certified by the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), an alliance of national forest certification systems.

The company is also a member of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR), a platform focused on improving the socioeconomic, ethical, and environmental performance of the NR value-chain.

The project also looked into Vibracoustic’s use of recovered carbon black from waste tires as well as “innovative plasticisers”.

“Both of these materials result in carbon footprint reduction and help contribute to a circular economy for rubber,” said Vibracoustic.

The Darmstadt-based manufacturer is also looking into eliminating ‘hazardous substances’ in rubber compounds, thus improving the working conditions and safety of production workers.

Furthermore, Vibracoustic is targeting ‘biotechnical recycling’ through a collaboration with Freudenberg Technology Innovation, and ASA Spezialenzyme, Germany.

Supported by the German government, the BioReNa programme enables the “effective recycling of rubber waste”, according to the company statement.

During the “breakthrough” process, vulcanised grinded rubber is treated with enzymes, which functionalise the surface of the rubber, converting it into material that can be reused for new rubber compounds and products.

By reusing in-house waste, Vibracoustic said it "can simultaneously reduce the carbon footprint of new products while cutting the waste generated by its own production processes.”