PolyOne’s pet-friendly TPE gets some puppy love

A soft-touch thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) from PolyOne is being used in the manufacture of a fundraising dog toy in the United States.

The high-performance GLS Dynaflex elastomer is used by WO Design to create the WO|Bone, a dog toy that supports the Ethiopia-based charity, Bring Love In. Sales of the WO|Bone are funding school lunches for Ethiopian orphans.

WO Design says it chose FDA-compliant Dynaflex TPE for the WO|Bone because “it provides an enjoyable mouth feel for dogs while resisting tooth punctures and breakage.”

In addition, the high-flow TPE easily handles WO|Bone’s moulded-in surface textures (divots and bumps) that promote dental health. Low specific gravity allows the WO|Bone to float for water retrieval and play, and the material’s colourability allowed the company to feature the four bright hues of the Ethiopian flag as a market differentiator.

In addition to supplying different grades of Dynaflex TPE to WO Design for testing purposes, PolyOne provided colour selection expertise.