COIM's strategic orientation in the dispersions field is towards specialization: COIM operates exclusively in the leather, textile and cork sectors, offering its customers tailor-made solutions for their individual needs.
C.O.I.M. S.p.A., an Italian multinational company producing specialty chemicals since 1962 and operating worldwide with nineteen manufacturing and trading companies, has developed some new aqueous solutions based on polyurethane resins in the Hydrolar range, made specially for the leather treatment sector, with a content of raw materials from renewable sources of up to 60%.
“Aqueous dispersions are among the most versatile chemical substances that exist.” explains the engineer Mrs. Mariaenrica Cesano, the Hydrolar Technical manager. “They give materials a unique appearance, touch and performance, characteristics that differ considerably from one another. The strategic orientation of COIM is towards specialization: we are specialists of applications for aqueous dispersions in the treatment of leather in the automotive and fashion sectors, fabric in the fashion and furniture sectorsand in the production of cork. This specialization enables us to assist our customers by developing tailor-made solutions for their needs and to free their companies from having to carry out a serious of tests within their organization by doing this ourselves, thus optimizing and making more sustainable the development process” continues Mrs. Cesano.
In the leather field, the Hydrolar solutions play a fundamental role for its preservation over time and maintenance of the colours of the surfaces treated, giving it also tactile features, such as hardness and softness, and fundamental aesthetic features, such as glossiness and opacity. They also enable defects in the leather to be covered and the colour to be made uniform, thus increasing the value of less valuable leather materials, reducing waste and giving other benefits from the environmental point of view.
To give the leather surfaces maximum abrasion resistance, COIM has also developed a special range of polyether polyurethanes, which also guarantee excellent heat and light stability, as well as being free of substances that would hinder the disposal and recycling of the product.
For the automotive sector, for example, this is an extremely important aspect that is regulated by the RoHS directive (2002/95/EC - Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive). It was adopted in the European Community in 2003 and imposes restrictions on the use of specific hazardous substances in the production of vehicle components.
As far as the fabrics used in the fashion and furniture sector are concerned, treatment with Hydrolar dispersions gives fundamentally important tactile features – such as hardness and softness – that enable designers and manufacturers to express all their creativeness, as well as indispensable aesthetic features in design and fashion, such as glossiness, opacity, shine and other optical effects that cannot be obtained without aqueous dispersions. For example, the Hydrolar dispersions give denim the greatly appreciated shine and make Goretex garments extremely comfortable to wear without interfering with their impermeability and breathability. The COIM dispersions also increase the resistance of fabric to chemical and water washing and the resistance to the formation of stains, thus enhancing the sustainability of the product's life cycle.
“The Hydrolar solutions themselves are sustainable in that they are water-based. In COIM's case, they do not contain high-boiling solvents, which leave traces in the finished product and may migrate to the inside of the car or be emitted by the leather and fabric used in the fashion and furniture sectors. The vast majority of the Hydrolar dispersions have a zero VOC content. COIM makes exclusive use of aliphatic isocyanates in production, having completely eliminated, several years ago, the use of aromatic isocyanates, which are not only hazardous but also do not prevent the yellowing of leather materials over time” concludes Mrs. Cesano.
“With this range of products, we are proud to serve the production chain of the typical, driving Made in Italy, fashion, design and furniture sectors, as well as the automotive sector. We have recently inaugurated a new laboratory for the Hydrolar products at our production plant in Offanengo (CR), a global reference for COIM, through which we intend to respond even more efficiently to the market's demand for more sustainable products made of ecofriendly materials and to strengthen the company's tailor-made offer with increasingly made to measure solutions to satisfy every individual customer's needs” explains Mr. Giuseppe Librandi, Chairperson and CEO of COIM.
“In the production of corks, the Hydrolar products are used to manufacture solid and compacted corks,” explains Alessandro Passerini, the COIM EMEA General Manager. “With this range of products, we are proud to represent an important part of the fine wine production chain in Italy and the Mediterranean.
COIM technology at the service of cork manufacturers helps to preserve over time the organoleptic properties of wine, thus enabling experts and enthusiasts from all over the world to get the most enjoyment out of opening a valuable bottle of wine. An example of chemistry at the service of the consumer and friendliness”.
C.O.I.M. S.p.a. press office: Origgi Consulting S.r.l.
Manager: Daniela Origgi
d.origgi@origgiconsulting.it – Mob. (+39) 347 1729113
COIM press office team:
pressoffice@origgiconsulting.it - Tel. (+39) 039 2307137
