Smartphone case to feature Eastman’s Tritan Renew

Lander, based in Lehi, Utah, has announced a new line of sustainable protection products for Apple iPhone 12 devices, including an updated version of its Torrey case that is made with Tritan Renew from Kingsport, Tennessee-based Eastman.

Lander partnered with the global specialty materials provider to bring Tritan Renew to the protective-case market. Tritan Renew features up to 50 percent recycled content derived from plastic scrap, and the company says it provides durability and shatter-resistance while holding up against cleaning agents.

According to a news release from Lander, the Torrey case features a soft-touch, plant-based bioplastic outer layer as well as a rigid inner layer made with Tritan Renew. The new case will be sold online at Lander.com and at major retailers. In addition, Lander reports that it uses 100-percent-recyclable and plastic-free packaging, soy-based ink and sustainable shipping and logistics strategies to decrease its carbon footprint.

“Lander is committed to making a positive environmental impact while offering quality device protection,” says Kirk Feller, Lander CEO. “To that end, we’re pleased to offer eco-friendly products made with sustainable materials like Tritan Renew from Eastman.”

According to Eastman, Tritan Renew is its first product to market using molecular recycling made possible by its Advanced Circular Recycling technologies, which use recycled plastic as a raw material to reduce consumption of fossil-based materials and to lessen its carbon footprint. Additionally, in 2019, Eastman began commercial-scale recycling for a broad set of plastics to keep material from being sent to landfills, incinerated or ending up in the environment. The company reports that its molecular recycling technologies can return scrap plastic to its molecular form an infinite number of times.

“We’re delighted to collaborate with Lander to be the first to bring Tritan Renew to the protective case market as part of the company's strategic pivot toward sustainable materials,” says Courtland Jenkins, commercial director of specialty plastics for Eastman.

Eastman produces Tritan Renew with certified recycled content for a variety of durable products, including reusable sports bottles, small appliances, food-storage containers, eyewear and cosmetics packaging.

Recycling Today offers more on Tritan Renew in the Fall 2020 edition of Plastics Recycling.