Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp. became the first manufacturer to introduce a bio-based, phthalate-free product for use in laboratory applications, the company announced.
The Paris-based company, with U.S. headquarters in Aurora, Ohio, said DEHP as been removed from its Tygon flexible tubing.
The next generation line of Tygon tubing is made from a bio-based plasticizer, and the product's new sustainable formulations are biodegradable. The tubing also has a higher pump life than the original formulas, the company said.
The new Tygon S3 model includes general laboratory tubing and long flexible life tubing. The company's ultra-soft tubing has also been replaced with a soft and flexible non-DEHP tubing, the company said.
"The new generation tubing is safe, smart and sustainable, and demonstrates Saint-Gobain's commitment to helping its customers meet safety and environmental concerns without sacrificing performance," Katia May, the company's laboratory market manager said in a statement.
The product will be sold worldwide and is manufactured in Akron, Ohio; Charny, France; and Shanghia, China, May said.
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics employs 4,400 workers in 15 countries. The company has seven extrusion plants in North America, including Akron, Ohio; Beaverton, Mich.; Clearwater, Fla.; Mickleton, N.J.; Wayne, N.J.; Bridgewater, N.J.; and Portage, Wis.
Cie. de Saint-Gobain, the parent company of Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, had $55.5 billion in sales in 2012.