Let’s get old and keep in good shape together: Reusable tableware made of specialty plastic Ultrason®

• Japanese plastic products manufacturer Kyoraku uses BASF polyethersulfone’s original honey color as design feature in its unique Amberware design concept
• Transparent Ultrason® E 3010 features high toughness and design freedom for durable, stylish household goods that keep their exceptional qualities for many years

The Japanese plastic products manufacturer Kyoraku, Tokyo, now uses BASF’s specialty plastic Ultrason® to add a unique tableware design concept to their comprehensive household goods portfolio: It is called Amberware and is made of Ultrason® E 3010 nat, an injection-molding and extrusion polyethersulfone (PESU) with improved toughness and high chemical resistance. The unique feature: Due to the original honey-colored tint of the PESU material, the plates have a light, transparent amber color. This gives the plates a singular design appeal even after many years of usage while they keep their exceptional use properties: They are light, show a high heat and microwave resistance and do not crack. They can also be cleaned with many cleaning agents and are dishwasher-proof. Because of all these Ultrason® benefits, Amberware plates can be reused many times, thus contributing to a sustainable lifestyle: They support a circular economy by avoiding single-use plastics and reduce packaging waste caused by conventional household, catering and take-away articles.

Ideal combination of functionality, design and sustainability

Compared to porcelain, tableware made of Ultrason® is characterized by its low weight and high break resistance. Due to the high stress crack resistance of Ultrason®, Kyoraku gives a lifelong guarantee for cracks and chipping on Amberware after extensively testing the mechanical strength of the material. In plastic products, the fading of color due to natural UV exposure is usually considered a sign of deterioration: This means that they easily break and slowly lose their physical and chemical resistance. With Amberware, the balance between color change and high performance remains even after long-term use and aging. The intensifying amber color over a long time thus becomes a sign of an environmentally conscious lifestyle with safe, reusable and at the same time high-quality products.

“The concept of Amberware is easy: It is a plastic product that is designed to be used for a long time – and its aging can be witnessed without any concerns regarding its safety and performance”, says Koichiro Yoshida, senior manager at Kyoraku. “We invite our customers to see the amber color enhancing the design over time, living with the plates and keep using them for a long time. When we first came across BASF’s Ultrason® and tested it for its properties, it reminded us of precious amber which shines golden and unbreakable after millions of years – and as a result, we selected this super BASF engineering plastic as the material for our new tableware concept.” In addition to its outstanding mechanical and good optical properties, Ultrason® has a high temperature resistance from -30°C to +180°C (short term up to 220°C). Regarding shape, color and transparency practically no bounds are set to design ideas for household and catering goods made of the BASF PESU.

“Our co-creation with Kyoraku is the perfect example of how our customers realize the sustainability potential of Ultrason® and turn it into an advantage for consumers and society”, says Nami Lohbeck from global business development Ultrason® at BASF. “Amberware helps consumers to consciously decide for sustainable articles in everyday life. This is due to the numerous benefits Ultrason® is offering by extending the lifetime of its applications: it improves resource efficiency by enabling durable articles, ensures safety after repeated usage and cleaning and reduces packaging waste by promoting the change from single-use to multiple-use articles.” With tailored Ultrason® grades, household and catering companies can develop a variety of sustainable applications, e.g. reusable to-go mugs and tableware, bottles for tea and hot water as well as catering dishes for recirculation.

Ultrason® is the tradename for BASF’s product range of polyethersulfone (Ultrason® E), polysulfone (Ultrason® S) and polyphenylsulfone (Ultrason® P). The high-performance thermoplastic is used to manufacture water filtration membranes, stylish, durable and safe household and catering applications as well as lightweight components for the automotive and aerospace industries. Ultrason® brands can substitute thermosets, metals and ceramics in many applications because of their extraordinary property profile.

More information: www.ultrason.basf.com/householdcatering

About BASF’s Performance Materials division

BASF’s Performance Materials division leads the transformation of the plastics industry by merging sustainability with a competitive edge. Our broad material competencies and product portfolio, backed by deep industry understanding, make us the ideal one-stop-shop. With dedicated material-focused teams and strong R&D power, we deliver industry-leading technologies and expertise to our customers worldwide. Our global network ensures a competitive advantage through superior innovations, regional proximity, and tailor-made solutions that meet local market demands. We are committed to enhancing performance and efficiency across sectors such as automotive, consumer goods, industrial applications, and construction. With BASF, our partners embark on #OurPlasticsJourney towards a more circular and sustainable future. In 2024, the Performance Materials division achieved global sales of €6.8 billion. Join #OurPlasticsJourney on LinkedIn https://on.basf.com/PM_LinkedIn and in our newsletter https://on.basf.com/PM_Newsletter.

Further information at https://www.performance-materials.basf.com.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €65.3 billion in 2024. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.