Sustainability program leverages Arkema's Elium resin for fully recyclable fiberglass boat

This fiberglass boat, the 170 Montauk, is just one example of Boston Whaler’s product offerings. The fully recyclable prototype using Arkema’s Elium resin will be similar to this vessel. Photo Credit: Boston Whaler.

Brunswick Corp. (Mettawa, Ill., U.S.), a company that develops, manufactures and markets a wide variety of products for the marine industry, is expanding its partnership with specialty materials company, Arkema (Colombes, France and King of Prussia, Pa., U.S.), to develop a fully recyclable fiberglass boat that integrates Arkema’s Elium liquid thermoplastic resin on all of the vessel’s composite parts, core and adhesives. The project is part of Brunswick’s enterprise-wide sustainability program and is expected to enable hull and structural components to be fully recycled at end of life (EOL) and reintroduced into production processes, reducing the amount of disposable material and sourcing of virgin raw materials.

The first composite vessel prototype is expected to be displayed at the 2022 Fort Lauderdale Boat Show Oct. 26-30, and will be developed in conjunction with fiberglass boat manufacturer Boston Whaler (Edgewater, Fla., U.S.), leveraging the brand’s construction to validate the technology.

“We are delighted to expand our partnership with Arkema, marking an exciting milestone in our sustainability journey,” says Kris Neff, Boston Whaler president. “By combining next-generation materials with the safety and durability of the Boston Whaler brand, we are ensuring we continue to meet boaters’ diverse and changing needs while reducing our environmental footprint.”

Arkema’s Elium resin is particularly suited to the marine industry and the production of composite watercraft; in addition to being fully recyclable, it is adapted to the resin infusion process of large parts, featuring a low viscosity, long reactivity and a low exothermic reaction.

“Elium resin is our solution for the new era of sustainable composites,” adds Nicolas Valloir, Arkema business manager. “Through our partnership with Brunswick and Boston Whaler, we’re helping to shape a more sustainable future and circular economy for the marine industry. This is fully aligned with Arkema’s commitment to develop innovative solutions tailored to support our customers in their quest for sustainable performance.”