Heartland Replaces Talc & Calcium Carbonate in Plastic with Hemp-Based Additives
Plastics make up much of the world around you, but very little of what you see is purely plastic. Most plastics include a combination of additives to reduce cost and add new features to the products. Additives include colors, plasticizers, stabilizers, fillers, and reinforcements.
When it comes to fillers, plastics companies are validating a few things:
- Price per pound
- Volume per pound
- Continuity in end format
Fillers can be easily replaced if certain thresholds are met.
The most common fillers in today’s plastics market are talc and calcium carbonate. These fillers were designed to reduce the cost and add volume to plastic without changing much of the physical properties.
People became so focused on the downside of using petroleum-based plastics, that they overlook the effects of the toxic fillers being put into those plastics. Talc and Calcium Carbonate has become the industry standard over decades. Unfortunately, these materials have negative impacts across the value chain.
- Talc – one of the ingredients typically found in talc is asbestos, a known carcinogenic.
- Calcium Carbonate – one of the ingredients typically found in calcium carbonate is crystalline silica, a known carcinogenic.
These materials have problems at every step of the way:
- How they’re mined.
- How they’re processed.
- How they’re used in manufacturing.
- How they’re consumed by customers.
- How they’re disposed of after use.
Over time, more and more exposure to these materials will have an adverse effect on all humans. These types of materials are toxic to humans; this is known throughout governments and industries.
Manufacturers are actively looking for safer alternatives to talc and calcium carbonate. Everyone is looking for superior filling capabilities while eliminating the downsides of dangerous chemicals. But, until today, that has not been possible.
Heartland Industries is using the inner woody inner core of the industrial hemp plant, called hurd (or shiv), to replace these fillers.
Hurd is made up of mostly cellulose, the world’s most abundant organic polymer. It is extremely lightweight and low-cost to produce at scale. In its final form, hemp hurd is a similar white powder that weighs significantly less than talc and calcium carbonate.
Hemp hurds are carbon-negative materials and can instantly reduce weight and cost for any manufacturer using plastics. This shift in fillers can be leveraged as a marketing tool to both customers and investors interested in ESG-friendly businesses and investments.
Heartland intends to create the first U.S. supply chain of hemp-based additives for U.S. manufacturers. This will allow us to help our clients create products that are stronger, lighter, cheaper and more sustainable than the competition.
Join us as we make a world out of hemp.