DuPont's renewably sourced thermoplastics elastomer, DuPont™ Hytrel® RS has found use in the collar of the new Salomon 'Ghost' freerider alpine ski-boot making one of the first commercial uses of the company's renewably-sourced thermoplastic elastomer. Hytrel® RS has been developed using a renewably sourced polyol derived from corn sugar or other renewable sources containing between 20 and 60% renewably sourced material. The company claims that Hytrel® provides all traditional characteristics for such a demanding winter sports application - including impact resistance and flexibility at low temperatures in addition to having 27 wt % renewably-sourced material.
Ski-boot collars help provide a secure fit of the boot to the skier and protect the lower leg. At the same time they need to be flexible enough to ensure a good and reliable transfer of movement from the leg to the ski. Already familiar with the properties of the DuPont thermoplastic elastomer from its use for collars and soles of its Nordic ski shoes, the recent launch of renewably sourced grades of Hytrel® caught Salomon's attention as it sought to decrease the use of petroleum-based products in its latest alpine ski-boots. The properties of Hytrel® RS of particular relevance to this ski-boot collar application include excellent flex fatigue and flexibility at temperatures as low as -4°F /-20°C (versus polyurethane) and high impact resistance. The collar is injection molded as a single piece and colored white using masterbatch. The Salomon 'Ghost' motif is added to the collar using pad printing.
03-Mar-09 
