REHAU has announced the launch of two new product lines, RAUKANTEX eco and RAUKANTEX evo, to demonstrate how sustainability can be applied to furniture edgebands.
“Naturally, we understand edgebands – and we understand how to make edgebands naturally,” said Daniel Elfe-Degel, Product Group Manager Edgebands and Project Manager for Sustainable Edgebands in the Furniture Solutions division. “We are celebrating the 50th birthday of the RAUKANTEX brand this year. When you look back at its history, it is clear to see how it has been repeatedly adapted to keep up with current developments. Sustainability and the protection of natural resources are some of the most important issues we are currently facing. It goes without saying that we want to set a good example with our edgebands.”
RAUKANTEX eco
In RAUKANTEX eco, REHAU has developed an edgeband composed of 50% post-industrial recycled material that is every bit the equal of conventional PP edgebands in terms of design, quality and processing. RAUKANTEX eco is available as the RAUKANTEX pure primer edgeband or the RAUKANTEX pro invisible joint edgeband, and can be used quite easily by processors instead of conventional edgebands. The machine parameters are the same, so no adjustment is needed.
RAUKANTEX evo
The RAUKANTEX evo edgeband is based on renewable raw materials, which creates no additional demand for crude oil. In other words, if this edgeband is used instead of a conventional polypropylene edgeband, it ensures that non-fossil primary raw materials instead of crude oil will be used in PP production. This is known as renewable feedstock (waste products from other industries). This also ensures that there is no need to use valuable agricultural land for cultivating crops to be used in the production of polymers. This is verified through ISCC PLUS certification, which RAUKANTEX evo is currently undergoing. The edgeband can be processed in the same way as a conventional PP edgeband, has the same quality characteristics, and matches the surface of the well-known RAUKANTEX product lines just as perfectly.
Part of a long-term sustainability strategy
RAUKANTEX eco.protect and the two new product lines are part of REHAU’s holistic sustainability strategy, where REHAU is working to insert products and materials into a circular economy.
With RAUKANTEX, the company’s sustainability approach includes using formulations free of harmful substances, ensuring maximum reprocessing and recycling of production and processing waste, and the use of 100% carbon-neutral electricity for production in all European edgeband plants.
At the same time, REHAU caters to customers’ high expectations of perfect design and outstanding processability – the perfect colour and decorative design match as well as exacting specifications and tolerances.
Adhesives are often still used to bond the edgeband to the board. However, REHAU has offered an adhesive-free technology as an alternative for many years. Invisible joint technology is free of adhesives and solvents and automatically has the right dosing, which means that there is no adhesive waste generated during processing. This functional layer of the edgeband is activated via laser, hot air or NIR, with the edgeband then being permanently bonded to the board.
Throughout the manufacturing and procurement processes, REHAU ensures that its partner companies also follow the principles of sustainability, quality assurance and social standards (Code of Conduct). Furthermore, for its sample collections, REHAU has worked with the local workshops for many years.
