Bio-based TPU puts the sole into Nike football boot

Speciality TPU producer, Merquinsa, has revealed that its Pearlthane ECO thermoplastic polyurethanes are used in Nike’s recently released GS football boot, reportedly reducing its weight by 15 percent.

The company states its bio-based product line provides an alternative to 100 percent petroleum-based TPU materials, without compromising any performance properties. The Pearlthane ECO product line has an 82 to 95 Shore A hardness and covers a range of 32 percent to 46 percent bio-based content as demonstrated according to ASTM D-6866.

The Pearlthane ECO product line was specifically designed for the sports and recreation market and provides the required performance properties for high quality footwear, according to Merquinsa. These properties include excellent abrasion resistance and cold flexibility combined with improved hydrolysis resistance and good adhesion to other non-TPU shoe components.

With a low density as compared to its petroleum-based counterparts, Merquinsa states Pearlthane ECO TPUs provide sports footwear manufacturers with a lightweight and cost-effective material that contributes to making the Nike GS football boot’s sole plate 15 percent lighter than a traditional plate composition.

“The Nike GS is the lightest and fastest football boot that we’ve ever made and really defines a new era in how we create, design and produce elite football boots,” said Andy Caine, Global Design Director for Nike Football. “When you can deliver a boot that combines high-end performance and a low environmental footprint, that’s a winning proposition for players and planet.”