Chemistry around us - non-iron shirts What makes a non-iron shirt stay crease-free? Very few people actually enjoy ironing. But how exactly do non-iron textiles maintain their shape, and prevent creasing? Ordinarily, cotton fibers swell during washing and fail to regain their prior form once dry. This is what causes fabric to look wrinkled. Non-iron materials, however, are treated with special products known as resins that stabilize the cotton and prevent the fibers from swelling up and creasing. These materials do not need to be ironed – this saves energy and helps protect the environment. An added bonus of this technology is that treated cotton dries faster because it absorbs less water. Non-iron shirts are best left to drip-dry on a coat hanger. They should then be ready to wear – if any small creases remain, they will smooth out with the effect of the wearer’s body heat.Which is the most socio-eco-efficient shirt? SEEBALANCE® Pilot Study: Men's Shirts

Not all men's shirts are the same! Apart from color and design, the material - cotton, polyester, or cotton/polyester blends - is an option to be considered when purchasing a new shirt. The eco-efficiency group at BASF and Karlsruhe University considered yet an additional issue: which is the most socio-eco-efficient shirt? Costs and environmental impact could be adequately examined as part of an Eco-Efficiency Analysis, but what about impact on consumers (e.g. comfortableness, etc.)? impact on employees (occupational disease, on-the-job accidents, salaries, etc.)? impact on local and national community (jobs, equal opportunities, etc.)? impact on future generations (trainees, investments, etc.)? To answer these questions a SEEBALANCE® was performed. The customer benefit included wearing, washing, drying and ironing of a blue men's shirt. International issues are very relevant in this study, since the cotton considered was from China, where occupational safety considerations are not comparable to German ones.

A copy of this study, completed as part of a thesis, can be obtained from the BASF eco-efficiency group. The sustainability of the shirts as determined by the SEEBALANCE® are quite differentiated: The three shirts compared included: alternative 1: polyester shirt alternative 2: cotton shirt alternative 3: shirt made of a polyester/cotton blend (65% cotton, 35% polyester) The polyester shirt is clearly the most socio-eco-efficient. The polyester shirt is the best performer in two of the three sustainability dimensions (economy and environment). In second place is the cotton/polyester blend shirt. Worst performer is the cotton shirt. Many customers believe a cotton shirt to be most environmentally friendly since it is made of renewable resources. However, it turns out that the cotton shirt actually causes the greatest environmental impact, primarily because of the high energy consumption and the large amounts of fertilizers needed to grow the cotton. Use of pesticides has also an environmental impact.

The differences among the alternatives are even greater in the economic dimension. The synthetic material is significantly cheaper to produce. Only on the societal axis are there no significant differences among the three alternatives. The polyester shirt remains the most socio-eco-efficient one in various scenario and sensitivity calculations.Venetian Blinds At WilkinsonsBASF to buy Albemarle's Chemetall coatings division for $3.2bnVenum T Shirt Uk German chemicals giant BASF said Friday it has agreed to purchase Chemetall, the surface treatment subsidiary of US group Albemarle, for $3.2 billion (2.8 billion euros).Lucas Bros Moving Company Tv WikiBASF added in its statement that "the transaction is subject to approval by the relevant authorities and is expected to close by the end of 2016."

Chemetall is headquartered in Frankfurt and has a global workforce of around 2,500 at 21 production sites in more than 20 countries, BASF said. The logo of German chemicals giant BASF at the company's headquarter in Ludwigshafen, Germany ©Daniel Roland (AFP/File) In 2015, it generated sales of $845 million."Chemetall offers a strong strategic fit for our coatings business," said the board member for BASF's coating business, Wayne T. Smith."Chemetall complements our current portfolio by adding the highly attractive surface treatment business to our coatings offerings," said division chief Markus Kamieth.Chemetall's products are used in a wide range of industries such as automobiles, aerospace and metal forming industries, BASF said.BASF's coatings division generated annual revenues of 3.2 billion euros last year.BASF shares were little changed on the Frankfurt stock exchange in mid-afternoon trading, rising just 0.07 percent to 67.89 euros, while the overall DAX index was up one percent.

We are a global design company. We create impact through design. Heat Concepts for BASF Email this case study to a friend Inspired by the unique heat-resistant properties of BASF’s Ultrason polymer, HEAT is a materials exploration reinterpreting five traditional domestic products: a kettle, a toaster, a clothes hanger, a lamp, and a hairdryer. The award-winning carafe-inspired Kettle allows you to watch the water as it boils in a clear, cool-to-the-touch plastic vessel, which can be placed directly on any surface after heating. A metal plate at the bottom of the double-walled design heats the water by induction, making the Kettle safer and easier to clean. The Toaster is a soft-edged and lightweight form. Its open and transparent shell allow for a visual and olfactory sensory experience, and prevents burning by allowing the cook to directly control the appliance. The Hanger brings together the iconic forms of wire coat hangers and t-shirts to hang, dry, and warm shirts.

It applies heat to dry shirts (an induction bar heats a thin filament along the hange’‘s exterior edge), and tension to smooth wrinkles, effectively eliminating two stages of laundry tedium. The Lamp is made from a single piece of Ultrason that allows the bulb to be screwed directly into the plastic, distilling the design to its most minimal form. The Lamp can stand on a table or act as a pendant light. The Travel Hairdryer foregoes a handle, making it smaller and lighter than other travel models. The emphasis on portability is reflected in the smart wrapping and plugging of the cord. The design can be produced in a one-step molding process, with integrated air vents and no visible part lines. A unique material inspires concept designs of household objectsIts open and transparent shell allow for a visual and olfactory sensory experience, and prevents burning by allowing the cook to directly control the appliance. INDEX Awards finalist, 2007 Privacy Policy © 2016 IDEO