Recently BASF and Siemens revealed their most recent development, a circuit breaker that includes biomass-balanced plastics within its components.

Whilst Siemens is a well-known electronics giant, BASF is a major supplier of specialty plastics and many other chemical products, which is based in Germany, specifically Ludwigshafen. A little while ago, in 2023, BASF posted sales of close to $75 billion.

Through making this circuit breaker, the companies have been able to replace fossil resources with biomethane that they sourced from agricultural waste. To make this application successful, the companies used bio-based grades of BASF’s Ultramid nylon and Ultradur PBT.

Officials stated that, ‘the circuit breaker is the first electrical safety product to contain components made from biomass-balanced plastics.’

BASF senior sustainability manager, Oliver Geiger, commented, "There's no difference in performance. We've replaced the feedstock and provided performance that's exactly the same."

Geiger continued, saying that, ‘the new circuit breaker has a carbon footprint that's 30-40 percent lower than standard products. Testing on the circuit breaker has been completed, and it's now commercially available.’

BASF officials also stated that, ‘the firm is using waste streams that offer post-industrial recycled material to make several Elastollan TPU grades with 30-100 percent recycled TPU. Also available is bio-based Elastollan TPU, which is made with renewable-sourced material featuring identical building blocks.’

The officials continued, ‘For electric vehicles, BASF is providing engineering plastics for durable and powerful electric motors. The firm's Ultrasim simulation and part testing allows customers to develop next generation e-motors while meeting production targets and market expectations for sustainability and energy efficiency.’