A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fillers for Elastomers

A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fillers for Elastomers

How Do You Evaluate Sustainable Fillers in Elastomer Formulations?

Sustainability pressures are driving increased interest in alternative fillers across rubber and thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) applications. While recovered carbon black often dominates the conversation, a wider landscape of bio-based materials, agricultural residues, and industrial by-products are increasingly being assessed as part of broader carbon reduction strategies. 

For R&D and innovation teams, the key challenge is not simply identifying a lower-impact material, but understanding how alternative fillers affect mechanical performance, processing behaviour, consistency, and scale-up risk. 

This technical article provides a practical overview of sustainable filler options, outlining where they are currently being used, typical performance trade-offs, and how technology readiness influences commercial viability. 

Smithers supports organisations evaluating carbon black reduction strategies and sustainable formulation development through independent testing, benchmarking, and material validation to reduce risk before scale-up.
 

What you'll learn:

  • The main categories of sustainable filler alternatives
  • How these materials are typically used in rubber and TPE systems
  • Common performance and processing trade-offs
  • Why technology readiness and validation matter before implementation

Written for R&D managers, material scientists, and sustainability leaders working in rubber and elastomer development. 

Download the article to better understand the sustainable filler landscape and apply a structured approach to formulation decision-making.
 

Read the article

A-Practical-Guide-to-Sustainable-Fillers-for-Elastomers

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