He turns, he shoots, he stirs: Adidas chooses sugar-cane based rubber for 2018 World Cup footballs

An EPDM rubber produced using biobased ethylene extracted from sugarcane will be used by Adidas to manufacture the footballs for the 2018 World Cup.

Keltan Eco 6950 EPDM rubber, manufactured by Arlanxeo, has been chosen as the basis for a sponge rubber layer that sits directly underneath the ‘Telstar 18’ ball’s outer cover.

The rubber layer serves as a mouldable cushion for the ball and supports optimal bounce characteristics during games.

Materials that are used in this layer must meet strict requirements in properties such as density, hardness and weight, and they must also demonstrate good processability. The most important performance characteristic, however, is the elasticity and resilience of the layer.

“For us, ecological sustainability was a fundamental criterion in the selection of products for the World Cup soccer ball,” explained Stefan Bichler, Project Manager of Football Operations at adidas AG.

“We wanted to create the new soccer ball using high-tech materials that have impressive performance characteristics and are also sustainable.”Keltan Eco is the world’s first EPDM rubber manufactured using bio-based ethylene extracted from sugarcane. Depending on the ethylene content of each rubber grade, the proportion of bio-based material ranges between 50 and 70 percent.

“Keltan Eco has the renowned quality characteristics as EPDM rubber that is made using fossil raw materials,” said Martin Kleimeier, Project Director and Global Marketing Manager for the Arlanxeo Keltan business line.

Keltan Eco 6950 – the type used by adidas – is characterised by its amorphous structure and high crosslinking density. This leads to good low-temperature properties and meets the requirements for the best possible elasticity and resilience.

With six different grades of Keltan Eco rubber currently on the market, Arlanxeo says it is supporting the move towards more sustainable products and matching the ever stricter environmental requirements to help reduce its carbon footprint, across all the industries it serves.

“With the full Keltan Eco portfolio, we have developed EPDM products that save resources, reduce our use of fossil-based products and also have a carbon footprint that is significantly lower than conventionally manufactured polymers,” added Chretien Rooijakkers, Head of Global Marketing for the Arlanxeo Keltan business line.