BASF to showcase slacks made from scrap tires at K Show

DUESSELDORF, Germany—Outdoor clothing made from recycled tires will feature among the exhibits on the BASF stand at the K2022 polymer expo, Oct. 19-26 in Duesseldorf.

Produced via a collaboration between the German chemicals company and outdoor apparel brand Vaude, the slacks are made from polyamide 6 fiber derived from chemically recycled rubber.

To produce the Ultramid Ccycled polyamide, BASF uses pyrolysis oil from end-of-life tires to partially replace fossil-based feedstock.

Product from the thermochemical process is used as feedstock at the company's integrated chemicals site in Ludwigshafen, Germany.

Using a certified mass balance approach, the chemicals are assigned to specific products manufactured in the Verbund, including Ultramid Ccycled products.

According to BASF, end products have the same properties as the equivalents made from fossil raw materials and can be processed using conventional equipment.

Ultramid Ccycled "is an innovative polyamide 6 that can be used to manufacture high-quality textiles," said Christoph Gahn, VP business management polyamides at BASF.

During production, we save fossil-based raw materials while also offering our customers a reduced carbon footprint," added Gahn.

"We want to be a pioneer in building up a circular economy for our functional clothing," said René Bethmann, innovation manager at Vaude. "By using Ultramid Ccycled, we can reduce the carbon footprint by more than half."