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From Home Furnishing Business

TORAY Announces More Plant-Based Components in Material

May 2, 2023  by HFBusiness Staff in Business Strategy, Industry   

For its next generation, eco-luxury material, Toray has successfully expanded the plant-based components used in Ultrasuede® HP to approximately 30 percent of its total composition with the subsequent addition of plant-based polyurethane. The polyurethane is composed of polyol made from the non-edible castor-oil plant (Ricinus communis).

In 2015, Toray began incorporating partially plant-based polyester in the production of its high-performance material, using polyester polymerized with ethylene glycol made from waste molasses in sugarcane processing — which then accounted for approximately 14 percent of the total material composition. 

Successfully replacing one-third of the material’s components with plant-based alternatives—the world’s first non-woven suede material manufactured this way—is the result of significant innovation over the last seven-plus years. By continuing its investment in sustainability-driven R&D, Toray is committed to developing a 100-percent plant-based material in the future.

The non-woven construction of Ultrasuede® HP material makes it inherently stain-, moisture-, and fade-resistant, without the addition of chemical treatments, which sets it apart in the high-performance upholstery material category. Breathable, with a similar structure to animal hides, the leather-alternative exceeds 200,000 double rubs—or double the life cycle for natural leather—in independent testing.

*Ultrasuede will next exhibit at INTERWOVEN in November 2023.