With growing awareness of lead and contaminants in drinking water, faucet manufacturers face pressure to adopt safer, sustainable alternatives. Traditional brass may leach lead, and thermoplastics often fail under prolonged hot and cold-water exposure. Envalior’s EcoPaXX® PA410, a bio-based, high-performance material, ensures durability, stability, and hydrolysis resistance, enabling cleaner, safer water while meeting sustainability demands.
Brass components have served the industry well, but their lead content—even in so-called “lead-free” alloys—can pose health risks. As regulations tighten, it’s clear that traditional materials are no longer enough. Manufacturers must adopt safer thermoplastic solutions that don’t compromise on strength, hydrolytic stability, or design flexibility.
EcoPaXX® Q-DWX grades are partially derived from renewable castor beans and deliver superior mechanical performance while maintaining the highest melting temperature among bioplastics. Low moisture uptake, excellent processability, exceptional surface quality, and good dimensional stability help ensure long-lasting, leak-free faucet components. Rigorous testing shows EcoPaXX® easily replaces conventional PA66 and PPO, improving the reliability in assembly and use by reducing deformation and preventing leaks—even after 1 million testing cycles. Compliant with global water contact standards for warm or hot water contact, EcoPaXX helps safeguard human health without sacrificing production efficiency.
EcoPaXX® Q-DWX’s high ductility and thermal stability enable manufacturers of sanitary products such as flow heaters, thermostat housings, and faucet valves to produce complex, thin-walled components. Its excellent flow characteristics improve molding efficiency and part quality. EcoPaXX® Q-DWX is available with 30, 50, and 60% glass fiber content and are well suited for brass replacement, but can also replace PPO, PA66 or PA66 blends without requiring significant retooling or redesign, reducing time and costs. As a bio-based solution, EcoPaXX® also supports sustainability goals—its production process largely offsets CO₂ emissions through castor bean cultivation. Envalior’s commitment to innovation means we’re on track to offer bio-based or recyclable grades across our entire polymer portfolio by 2030.
Ready to elevate your faucet components with a safe, sustainable solution? Contact our team today or visit plasticsfinder.envalior.com for technical data sheets and test samples. Together, we can create a healthier future, one drop at a time.
After obtaining his Ph.D. in supramolecular and organic chemistry, Pim Janssen began his career at Envalior as a chemist for the engineering plastics Akulon (PA6) and the biobased EcoPaXX (PA410). He also spent a few years in product development and program management for high temperature polyamides ForTii (PPA), Stanyl (PA46), EcoPaXX (PA410) and Xytron (PPS). In 2018, he joined the business management team as market development manager for water and food contact, industrial applications, and to develop a unreinforced PPA portfolio.
17 February 2025
2 min read
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