SILICONE HOSE & SUSTAINABILITY

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF PUBLISHED DATA

SUMMARY
Independent websites have stated that silicone, when used correctly, is more sustainable than wood.  Purosil’s position on Sustainability, like all Environmental, Social, and Governance issues is, “Deeds not Words.”  Purosil is headquartered in California, one of the most – if not THE most – environmentally sensitive places to manufacture on the planet.  We are a family business, so taking care to have women on our Board, and thinking in terms of generations is only natural to us.  Our family of companies created the first Cradle to Cradle® thermoset elastomer products.  However, be advised that the sustainability of our product is not completely within our control.  If the energy used to manufacture is not 100% sustainable, then neither is the product 100% sustainable.  If the customer chooses to not make use of the long life of silicone it, nor to recycle it, then the product becomes less sustainable than we intended.  But, used correctly, Purosil’s products are leaders in sustainability.  The European Union states that silicone products, our products, reduce Green House Gases (GHG) (Bernd Brandt)

MANUFACTURING
Silicone comes from the second most abundant element on the planet, so when we run out of silicone we have run out of planet.  Unlike petrochemical products, the abundancy of the resource is not in question.  It is true that the energy needed to create the material needs to be sustainable for our product to be sustainable.  Our monitoring, however, of sustainability reports from our base rubber suppliers shows that all of them are taking steps to use renewable energy and become carbon neutral (Wacker, 2020) (Elkem, 2022) (Wynca, 2021) (Shinetsu, 2021). And all studies show that the long life of silicone offsets the initial GHG release when compared to plastics and organic rubbers such as EPDM

Purosil compounds this base rubber, creating the materials that go into our hoses.  It should be noted that in a report from the NetZero company (Sauve, 2022) they make the very valid observation that “It is important to note that not all silicone products are created equal. Some silicone products contain what’s commonly known as fillers which can be detrimental to not only its sustainability, but also its safety.” It is for these reasons Purosil owns ALL our formulations and believes that understanding the fundamentals of silicone chemistry is essential for making a great (and sustainable) product.

LIFE OF PRODUCT
It is the antithesis of sustainability to use a finite resource (such as petrochemical rubber) to make a product, and then use it for planned obsolescence.  Therefore we make silicone hoses which, it is generally accepted, last longer than EPDM hoses, especially in aggressive and/or high temperature environments.  Quoting The Gates Corporation, “According to the IMR Automotive Research Group, hose failures lead to more than half of all radiator coolant hose replacements. Drew Conkling, global product line management director for Gates, recommends hose replacement at 90,000 miles to avoid an unnecessary breakdown, but he noted that severe-duty cycles such as towing, frequent stop-and-go, high-idle and hot weather can reduce that replacement range.” (CCJ, 2023).  Purosil believes that when designed and used properly, our hoses should last the life of the vehicle.

END OF LIFE

RECYCLING
Silicone is recyclable.   However, when it is a minor component, e.g. of a vehicle, recycling may not be practicable.

DISPOSAL
If recycling is done, a Cradle-to-Cradle® sustainable circle can be created.  But if the customer is either unable or unwilling to recycle the product, silicone can be placed in landfill with no adverse effects.  And, while it does not break down for many years due to its longevity, when it does break down it will go back into the quartz sand (earth) from which it was made, re-entering a sustainable circle.  From a cradle-to-grave perspective, when disposed, unlike petrochemicals that degrade into microplastics, it does not harm water, animals or soil.

CONCLUSION
In this document we hope to have shown, “deeds not words”:

  1. Silicone Carbon Balance.  The Europeans found that, in general, silicone has a NEGATIVE carbon balance in North America, Europe, and Japan.
  2. Silicone does not contribute to microplastics, is recyclable, and will return (eventually) to the quartz (earth) from which it was made.
  3. Unlike EPDM, Silicone is, for all practical purposes, infinitely sustainable.
  4. OUR Suppliers are going for carbon neutrality.
  5. EPDM hoses last less time and as such are far less sustainable than their silicone equivalents.
  6. Silicones are not all equal and some people will “contaminate” compounds with materials that make them less sustainable and less safe.

These are not our studies that we have quoted, these are the words of other people.  We hope you find such third party sources to be credible.

The last report we would like to quote is that of another silicone company, General Silicones, (Genral SIlicones, 2021) I believe when you review their sustainability report and the evidence they have shown you may agree with Jennifer Okafor – SILICONE USED CORRECTLY IS MORE SUSTAINABLE THAN WOOD.

REFERENCES

Bernd Brandt, E. K. (n.d.). SILICON-CHEMISTRY CARBON BALANCE. Global Silicones Council, Centre Européen des Silicones, Silicones Environmental, Health and Safety Council of North America.

CCJ. (2023, January 19). Getting hosed: Rubber checkup a key part of fluid maintenance. Retrieved from https://www.ccjdigital.com/business/article/14939509/routine-hose-inspections-help-fluid-maintenance-and-more

Elkem. (2022). Reducing emissions towards net zero while growing supplies to the green transition.

Genral SIlicones. (2021). SUSTAINABILITY OF SILICONE.

Jennifer Okafor, B. (n.d.). Is Silicone Eco-Friendly? – Environmental Impact Of Silicone. Retrieved from Trvst World: https://www.trvst.world/environment/is-silicone-eco-friendly/

Sauve, M. (2022, February 25). Are Silicone Products Sustainable? Retrieved from https://www.netzerocompany.com/blogs/news/are-silicone-products-sustainable

Shinetsu. (2021). Approach to Sustainability by the Gunma Complex Vol.01. Retrieved from https://www.shinetsusilicone-global.com/sustainability/sustainability_activities01.shtml

Wacker. (2020). FACTSHEET SUSTAINABILITY I CLIMATE PROTECTION I CO2 MANAGEMENT.

Wynca. (2021). THE 2021 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT OF WYNCA GROUP.

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