TPU is a new type of environmentally friendly material. In today’s society, as we continue to make social progress and people place increasing emphasis on health and environmental protection, there’s growing caution when it comes to various materials. Generally, the first consideration is always whether a material might pose any harm to the body. TPU is a new energy source that’s widely used in fields such as automotive components and mobile phones. Moreover, it’s an environmentally friendly, renewable resource. However, many people are still concerned about potential health risks associated with TPU. Is TPU harmful to human health? Let’s take a closer look.

TPU is a new type of environmentally friendly material that is safe, non-toxic, and harmless. It is recyclable and can be reused, with a wide range of applications—including TPU phone cases, smart wristbands, thin-film TPU, cable compounds, and more. TPU boasts highly controllable physical properties and can be formulated into various grades, such as medical-grade, food-grade, and flame-retardant, all of which have passed human skin contact tests. In terms of application, TPU is gradually replacing silicone materials because it is recyclable and reusable, giving it a significant cost advantage over silicone. TPU is easy to process—ordinary injection molding machines can handle its fabrication—and it offers numerous advantages, including excellent elasticity, high hardness, resistance to abrasion and oil, and high transparency.

TPU stands for thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber. It is primarily categorized into polyester-based and polyether-based types. TPU boasts a wide hardness range (60 HA to 85 HD), excellent wear resistance, oil resistance, transparency, and outstanding elasticity. As a result, it finds extensive applications in fields such as daily-use products, sporting goods, toys, and decorative materials. Furthermore, halogen-free flame-retardant TPU can replace soft PVC to meet the growing environmental requirements across various industries.

How does TPU demonstrate that it’s an environmentally friendly material?

TPU material differs from other plastics in its scent—it doesn’t produce any irritating odors nor emit toxic gases. If you take a close sniff, you’ll notice TPU’s subtle, pleasant fragrance. When you burn TPU material, the smoke produced is white; if even a small amount of black smoke appears, it indicates that the combustion isn’t fully complete. If you bury TPU in soil, it will decompose within about one year. After decomposition, it breaks down into water—specifically, hydrogen and oxygen. Thus, TPU’s superior properties and its stylish, eco-friendly nature mean that this material won’t harm the natural environment or pose any health risks to humans. You can rest assured about this!

Finally, let’s talk about the difference between TPU plastic raw material and TPU runner material:

TPU raw material is directly extracted from petroleum and has never been processed. The runner material, on the other hand, has undergone a single high-temperature molding process. TPU raw material boasts stable chemical properties and excellent physical performance, whereas the runner material’s physical properties are significantly inferior— it tends to be brittle, easily cracks, and lacks the toughness of the raw material. The more times it’s molded, the more brittle its material becomes.

Distinguishing between raw materials and runner material: Products with a high proportion of TPU runner material tend to yellow or turn black simply based on color differences. Runner material cannot be used to produce transparent products, and the proportion of runner material in standard products should not exceed 35%. For products with lower quality requirements, the proportion of runner material can even reach 100%. Furthermore, when using runner material to manufacture large-sized products, the fracture surfaces tend to turn black.

As introduced above, we now know that TPU is harmless to the human body and is also a particularly useful, new type of environmentally friendly material. Moreover, it is widely used in our daily lives, so you can feel completely confident when using it. In addition, TPU is used extensively in everyday life—indeed, we come into contact with it almost every day—and it’s a material you can use with peace of mind.