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Polymaker, as a high-tech company specializing in 3D printing materials, recently announced that it has obtained the ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification). This certification signifies an important milestone for Polymaker in the field of environmental sustainability and further solidifies its leading position in the industry.

Initiated in 2006 through a multi-stakeholder dialogue and with assistance from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), the ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) is a globally recognized and EU leading sustainability certification system.

The ISCC certification system covers all sustainable feedstocks, including biomass from agriculture, forestry and aquaculture, biogenic waste and residues, non-biological renewable materials and recycled carbon-based materials and products derived therefrom. It aims to protect forests, high-carbon stock areas, and biodiversity by certifying and managing sustainable, traceable, deforestation-free, and climate-friendly supply chains, contributing to the achievement of environmental, social, and economic sustainability.

To obtain the ISCC certification, Polymaker has redefined its supplier audit standards, planned and improved its own management capabilities and material production technologies. This ensures that Polymaker’s supply chain management and production processes complies with ISCC's strict standards and achieves 100% traceability.

Polymaker has a strong reputation in the industry as a world-renowned innovator and manufacturer of extrusion-based 3D printing materials. The first phase of implementing the ISCC system included two environmentally friendly materials: bio-based PC (polycarbonate) and bio-based PLA (polylactic acid). These two types of materials are important components of the Polymaker product family and have numerous applications in consumer, professional, and industrial markets.

"Gaining ISCC certification is of great significance to Polymaker," said Mr. Hang Qu, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Polymaker. "This represents that Polymaker is not only meeting the functional needs of customers but also taking a solid step towards improving corporate ESG responsibilities. This commitment signifies Polymaker's strong willingness to promote sustainable development solutions and effectively deliver this value to downstream customers."

In the future, Polymaker will continue to focus on developing more innovative and environmentally friendly 3D printing materials and technologies. The company will actively seek additional certifications and collaboration opportunities to drive the progress of sustainable development.

In recent decades, the rising trend of the green economy has swirled through the global market.

Polymaker, as one of the leading 3D printing companies, has put its efforts into upgrading materials and sustainable development.

Polymaker is a developer and manufacturer of 3D printing materials committed to innovation, quality, and sustainability. Its award-winning product portfolio has enabled numerous individuals and companies to better create and make. Headquartered in Changshu, China, Polymaker has multiple office locations in Shanghai, Utrecht, and Houston ready to serve customers across the globe.

Global plastic waste status in the last three years

In September 2021, global plastic waste has risen up to 75.9% of the entire plastic consumption. In 2019, the global plastic production amount was 368 million metric tons and after one year, this amount has increased by 3.5 percent in terms of the compound annual growth rate. The sum is approximately equal to the total weight of the earth's population. Among this, up to 50% of plastic is for single use and is disposed of immediately after use.

Approximately 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic were discarded as waste, of which around 79% has accumulated in landfills, 12% was incinerated, and 9% recycled. Only 1% of all plastic has ever been recycled more than once.

Now let’s take a look at how Polymaker has contributed to the eco-friendlier road in the past year. Polymaker has led several steps in reducing carbon footprint following four key developments.

Ⅰ Curbing plastic contamination, Polymaker launched bioplastic filament PolyTerra™ PLA

Detached from the traditional petroleum-based raw materials, Polymaker has developed the bio compound 3D printing filament PolyTerra™ PLA and launched in February 2021. PolyTerra™ PLA, extracted from plant photosynthesis, combines PLA bioplastic and biocomposite into one 3D printing filament. Compared with its petroleum-based counterparts, this filament is bio-based. The petroleum-based filament used to be the ideal choice for common 3D printing users due to its wide applicability. However, the old petroleum-based system is facing a turning point now, people no longer seek after unsustainable and limited resources, on the contrary, more environmentally adaptable bio-based ones are more attractive to them. PolyTerra™ PLA produces less carbon footprint than ordinary petroleum-based counterparts in the manufacturing process. PolyTerra™ PLA is also well-known for its biodegradability to which extensive independent reports have been created. Petroleum-based material needs a much longer time than bio-based filament in terms of decomposing. Unnecessary prints could be thrown away and normally end up in the landfill which takes thousands of years in natural degradation. PolyTerra™ PLA decomposing takes a much shorter time than that.

PolyTerra™ PLA is not only fashioned for its bio-compound nature but also the adoption of 100% cardboard spool has accelerated its circulation. The similarity between PolyTerra™ PLA and its outer packaging can be assorted into their decomposability. Under the right conditions, microorganisms and other substances decompose paper fibers from the cardboard packaging and return all organic elements to earth.

Ⅱ Altering plastic mainstream position, Polymaker transitions all plastic spools to 100% recycled cardboard spools

As the initial bio-product of Polymaker, PolyTerra™ PLA is the inspiration of another movement. The success of PolyTerra™ PLA led to the transformation of cardboard spools. Polymaker decided to enlarge the scale of cardboard spool manufacturing. Now the company is gradually replacing all plastic spools with 100% recycled cardboard spools.

Cardboard spool combines many meaningful elements in its design process. Apart from the new cardboard spool’s recycled nature, the entire part of which is available for generic paper recycling. For example, the empty spool can easily be ripped apart into two cardboard faces and a cardboard tube. Then, the old paper information sheet has been replaced by the product QR code. Via scanning it, customers can easily get all product info such as printing profiles, TDS, SDS…. By doing so, a large amount of paper consumption has been saved.  In the meantime, the simplification of outer packaging reduces the carbon footprint emission in manufacturing.

Ⅲ Reducing carbon footprint, the initiation of PolyTerra™ PLA One Tree Planted program maintains ecological balance

With the launch of PolyTerra™ PLA, Polymaker announced a partnership with One Tree Planted in conducting the reforestation plan. For every spool of PolyTerra™ PLA sold, One Tree Planted, a non-profit planting organization will plant a tree local to where one spool sold. Up to now, over 140 thousand various types of trees have taken deep roots in several continents including Asia, Europe, Oceania, North America, and other regions. According to data shown on One Tree Planted, a sapling will need 5-10 years to reach its maturity and one mature tree can absorb an average of 22lbs of carbon dioxide per year. Therefore, within one year, Polymaker and its PolyTerra™ PLA customers will effectively remove over 2.2 million lbs of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The growing plantation of trees will suck in greenhouse gases and cool the earth's temperature in the long run. As natural friends of mankind, trees work as the perfect purifier of air and water and provide habitat for more than 80% of terrestrial animals.

Ⅳ Cutting plastic waste, Polymaker develops 3D printing filament Polymaker™ PC-r through recycled waste plastics.

Moreover, Polymaker combines ecosystem protection with the recycling of plastic products.

Based on the conception of recycling discarded plastic, Polymaker collaborated with Covestro, a globally leading material supplier, in developing a polycarbonate filament for 3D printing. This material is named Polymaker™ PC-r, which selected raw materials on 19-liter bottles from Chinese water supplier Nongfu Spring. These discarded water bottles contain polycarbonate in a fairly pure form. Covestro blends the plastic waste with virgin material to yield a polycarbonate base that can extrude into filaments for use in electronics automotive and other industries. Compared to virgin material, filaments using recycled material have more advantages. Firstly, it produces a lower carbon footprint. The single-sourced material also eliminates the need for prior plastic sorting and identification that save manual labor hours. Secondly, the abundant source of raw materials comes from mineral water buckets that have high purity can be recycled cost-effectively. The above elements demonstrate the economic value of this technology upgrading, while at the same time, the development of Polymaker™ PC-r also stands up to the test of marketing requirements. By combining 3D printing technology in industrial production, Polymaker™ PC-r can provide strong support for brands looking to build sustainable supply chains. Endured with relevant professional tests such as blue Angel and EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool), this filament’s durability has met up to the production requirements of specific industries. Thus, it applies to various demands.

Polymaker is working on

more substantial solutions on ecosystem preservation and sustainable development and will move forward on optimizing production lines and developing sustainable products, that is the multi-year plan for all.

After releasing PolyTerra™ PLA ​​​​​​​on cardboard packaging earlier this year, we received many compliments from our customers praising our efforts to be eco-friendlier. Many customers loved our new cardboard spool both for its usability and disposability.

Fig.1 New Cardboard Spool

To further our efforts and establish a consistent brand image that contributes more on environmental protection, we decided to upgrade the whole Polymaker range from plastic spools onto cardboard spools!

Not only will this remove tonnes of plastic waste from the environment, it also provides a practical cardboard spool that is easy to rip apart after use and can be recycled in your regular paper recycling.

We are phasing in the new packaging while using up our plastic spools to save resources and avoid waste. This notification aims to avoid any confusion for our customers and we cannot guarantee which packaging you will receive during our transition stage. What we can guarantee is that you will receive the same high-quality filament that you expect from Polymaker.

Features of the New Spool

The new cardboard spool features a thick 4mm pressed and die-cut recycled cardboard spool face, glued onto a strip-rolled section of cardboard tube. The thickness of the cardboard ensures your filament is well protected and the spool can roll very efficiently on all designs of spool holder both internally or externally mounted.

Fig.2 Thick Cardboard Spool Face

On the front of the spool, you’ll find a QR code which will take you to the product information sheet on www.polymaker.com Here you can also find printing profiles, TDS, SDS, and all other documentation relevant to the filament.

Fig.3 QR Code for Product Information

The cardboard used to make the spool and box comes from 100% recycled sources.

Fig.4 Smaller Box, Larger Labels

On the box, we have created a new label with larger text making it easier to identify the material, diameter, and color of the filament. On the spool, we feature some basic printing information and the rough filament weight guide, a feature pioneered by Polymaker and followed by many filament manufacturers.​​​​​​​

Fig.5 Weight Gauge

One of the biggest challenges for us was sourcing a glue that can withstand the high temperatures necessary to dry some of our filaments. Our nylon range, for example, needs to be dried at 100°C and the naturally sourced glue that holds our cardboard spools together has the ability to withstand those temperatures without melting.

Fig.6 Improved Winding

Our new product portfolio brand structure and visual identity set the tone for the future of our business – an organization that is customer-oriented, pioneering, creative, and responsible. We hope to create a diverse and innovative experience for our customers to help shape the world around them with 3D printing.

Thank you once again for your support and trust!

Polymaker

Polymaker, a leading producer of 3D printing materials announced today that filament production has ceased on all plastic spools. Moving forward, Polymaker will produce all filaments on a 100% recycled cardboard spools. This move aims to reduce plastic waste in 3D printing to create a more environmentally friendly product with packaging which can be easily recycled after use.

“Sustainability is a top priority for Polymaker, and I am glad to see our team taking this important initiative. We will continue the innovation to make all our products more sustainable.” – Dr. Xiaofan Luo – Founder of Polymaker

• The new cardboard spool features a thick, 4mm pressed and die cut cardboard spool face, glued onto a strip rolled section of cardboard tube. The thickness of the cardboard ensures the filament is well protected and the spool can roll very efficiently on all designs of spool holder both internally or externally mounted.

"Polymaker’s adoption of cardboard spools is in agreement with circular economy principles such as decoupling from petrochemical-based plastics and creating an after-use economy for recycled materials with their use of recycled fiber. Polymaker has long demonstrated these circular economy values, most recently with the launch of their PolyTerra™ filament, made from renewable biobased Ingeo™ biopolymer, with which they piloted the use of these cardboard spools. We are proud of our partnership with Polymaker and their progress towards environmentally friendly and sustainable practices in 3D printing." - Dan Sawyer - Natureworks

The new spool features a QR code which takes customers to the product information sheet on www.polymaker.com alongside: printing profiles, TDS, SDS and all other documentation relevant to the filament. The paper product information sheet will no longer be shipped inside the packaging further reducing waste.