Japanese companies Teijin Cordley and WR Supply are jointly developing a new process for recycling release papers from artificial leather manufacturing.

Release paper used in manufacturing artificial leather is a two-layer structure comprised of a base paper and a resin coating. The resin is used as a mould to transfer patterns and textures such as natural leather markings and geometric designs to the artificial leather surface. In the new collaboration, Teijin Cordley will collect used release paper from its artificial leather manufacturing production and third partner, Rengo, will recycle and process it into EB Series base paper in accordance with WR Supply’s patent.

Teijin Cordley is already using recycled raw materials for its artificial leather base fabrics and water-based polyurethane without organic solvents.

WR Supply’s patented process and Rengo’s paperboard manufacturing technology enable recycled paper to be dissolved in water, avoiding the need for heat and chemicals to separate pulp chips, reducing CO2 emissions during manufacturing by approximately 60%. By recycling the base paper portion of used release paper from artificial leather, Teijin Cordley will be able to reduce CO2 emissions from incineration by approximately 100 tons per year, and to reduce the volume of industrial waste derived from used release paper by 80%.

EB Series recycled base paper delivers the same quality as conventional base paper.

www.teijin.com