Plastics, rubber and related processing technologies are finding diverse applications in sports equipment, pet care and the silver economy. Material performance and processing techniques work together to meet different product needs. In sports products, these include grip, cushioning and resistance to repeated stretching. Other priorities range from protecting pet food quality and supporting circular packaging design to reducing the weight of mobility aids and improving the breathability of hygiene backsheets. Relevant processes include microcellular foaming, extrusion, blown film extrusion and film stretching.
Sports Equipment: Different Demands in Footwear, Fitness and Protection
Each component of a sports shoe places different demands on the materials used. BASF's Elastollan® GripTec focuses on outsole grip and abrasion resistance, while the FlexPlate™ structure in MERRELL trail running shoes uses Arkema's glass fibre-reinforced Rilsan® PA11 for underfoot support and protection. For midsoles, Miracll's E-TPU offers a lightweight, high-rebound material option. On the processing side, Shincell uses carbon dioxide or nitrogen in supercritical microcellular foaming to produce midsole materials that combine light weight, cushioning and rebound.
Fitness and protective equipment face different loading demands. KRAIBURG TPE's materials for resistance bands focus on tensile performance and tear resistance, and can be extruded into bands of different specifications and resistance levels. INOV's polyurethane microcellular elastomers can be used in knee and elbow protectors, balancing impact protection with freedom of movement.
Pet Products: Chewing Needs, Food Protection and Packaging Circularity
Modified plastics and thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are ideal for overcoming pet gnawing, scratching, color fading, and outdoor embrittlement. To meet varying durometer requirements for chew toys, HEXPOL offers TPEs across a wide hardness spectrum for total design flexibility. For smart hardware like automated feeders, litter boxes, and travel bottles, GON provides antibacterial, weather-resistant modified ABS/PP that integrates UV stabilizers with non-toxic antimicrobial agents to prevent outdoor aging.
In dry pet food packaging, Kuraray's EVAL™ EVOH provides an oxygen barrier and helps retain aroma, while PE layers contribute moisture protection and sealability. Furthermore, ExxonMobil and Bandera have utilized conventional blown film extrusion to produce non-oriented PE films as an alternative to PET, meeting stiffness, printing and lamination requirements while supporting design for recyclability.
The Silver Economy: Lighter Mobility Aids and Breathable Care Products
Mobility assistance and daily care in later life call for lighter structures, reduced wearing burden and greater care comfort. Structural weight is particularly relevant to assistive exoskeletons. WOTE identifies robotic skeletal structures and exoskeleton equipment as development areas for its carbon fibre-reinforced PPA solutions. Hygiene backsheets need to balance leak protection with breathability. Reifenhäuser's EVO Ultra Stretch film-stretching technology enables manufacturers to adjust airflow through diaper backsheet films.
Medical applications extend this scope further. Implant-grade PEEK from Jilin Joinature Polymer Co., Ltd. (ZYPEEK) has been used in a sternal fixation band developed by Kontour Medical for postoperative sternal fixation.
From sports equipment to pet products, mobility aids and care products, opportunities for plastics and rubber innovation emerge from specific development needs. Different combinations of materials, structures and processing methods are opening up further design possibilities.
