Eastman Non-Phthalate Plasticizer Meets EPA Safer Choice Chemical Criteria

Eastman has developed a plasticizer that meets the EPA’s Safer Choice program criteria — an industry first, according to the chemical company.

A plasticizer is a chemical substance that is added to another material, usually a plastic, to make it flexible, resilient and easier to handle.

The most common are phthalate-based plasticizers, which represented more than 75 percent share in the global plasticizers market, according to Persistence Market Research. However, government regulations and increasing health concerns — phthalates are toxic to humans and the environment, according to the EPA — are stimulating the demand for bio-plasticizers and safer chemicals, which are a growing market trend.

Eastman’s 168 SG non-phthalate plasticizer has been approved for listing in GreenBlue’s CleanGredients database, an online database of chemical ingredients whose formulations have been pre-approved by the EPA for user in Safer Choice-labeled products. The Safer Choice label identifies products with chemical ingredients that are safe for humans and the environment.

All current ingredient listings have been specific to cleaning products, but Eastman says 168 SG represents a new category of CleanGredients that can be used for other applications such as flooring, wallcoverings, toys, medical devices and others that require flexible vinyl.

Eastman 168 SG can also be used in some waterborne adhesives and in some rubber formulations, and has several US FDA and European food-contact clearances in adhesive and plastics applications.

These applications, the company says, broadens the reach of the Safer Choice program into new industries.