BASF and KPR introduce safety footwear using recycled PU material Elastopan® Loop

BASF, a global leader in chemical solutions, has partnered with KPR® King Power (KPR), a prominent safety footwear manufacturer in 2024, to launch a new line of safety shoes made with Elastopan® Loop, a sustainable polyurethane (PU) solution derived from recycled materials.

BASF & KPR^® King Power collaborate to launch safety footwear made with recycled polyurethanes (PU) solution Elastopan^® Loop

This initiative is part of BASF’s Loop portfolio, which focuses on circular economy solutions for the footwear industry. The Elastopan® Loop technology employs a combination of sophisticated advanced liquification techniques that transforms post-consumer PU into high-performance material suitable for footwear manufacturing. The recycled PU maintains the durability, reliability, and comfort required for industrial safety shoes while meeting industry standards for quality and sustainability. 

By integrating recycled materials without compromising performance, BASF and KPR demonstrate how circular economy principles can be applied in industrial applications. This collaboration marks a significant step toward greener manufacturing practices in the safety footwear market, aligning with global sustainability trends and regulatory demands. 

Silvia Mok, Vice President of Business Management for Polyurethanes Systems, Performance Materials Asia Pacific at BASF, expressed enthusiasm about the milestone: " We are thrilled to have commercialized and supplied the first order of ‘Loop’ solutions in China to KPR for the production of their new line of safety shoes based on recycled PU materials. This collaboration not only helps us to enable the green transformation of customers such as KPR, it is also a step forward in reducing the environmental footprint of the thriving footwear industry."