Duotone Mag 2024

THE KITES THE WING In 2024, we are offering both the Duotone kites Evo and Neo as well as the Duotone wing Slick as Concept Blue. All three can be recognized by the colour code: undyed. In kite and wing production there are three sectors for sustainable materials: Cloth, bladder and plastic parts. It goes without saying that we do our best to use as many recycled materials as possible in our products. At the moment, however, it is unfortunately still the case that recycling also means downcycling, especially when it comes to plastic. The material properties of the plastics deteriorate with every recycling process. Manufacturers are conducting intensive research to find processes that avoid this. We are working hard to develop recycled fabrics with the manufacturers. At the moment, these are not yet as durable as new fabrics. As soon as we have completed the development, we will also introduce recycled fabrics to the market. The aim is to use 100% recycled material. Initial laboratory tests give us confidence. The bladders of the Concept Blue products consist of a proportion of bio-based TPU plastic, thereby reducing their CO2 footprint by up to 30 percent. We also asked ourselves: Where can we recycle our own plastic waste? The production of plastic parts (such as deflection rollers and one-pump clips) using the injection molding process generates around 50 percent plastic waste per part. We now recycle this ourselves in our production facility and thus reduce our plastic waste. However, we achieve the greatest impact by using fabrics that are not dyed. Dyeing requires thousands of liters of water to wash the fabric, rinse machines and the removal of solvents. By not dyeing the fabric, we save a production step in the fabric manufacturing process, save up to 46%Water, 35% energy and reduce the carbon footprint up to 12%. The result: kites and wings are bright without dyeing, the canopy as well as the leading edge. Now all that remains is for our customers to decide how they accept this special look. In any case, we have high hopes for the future of undyed products. More kite models in Concept Blue will soon follow on Evo and Neo. MADE FROM UNDYED FABRICS BIO-BASED BLADDER RECYCLED PLASTIC COMPONENTS CONCEPT BLUE D U O T O N E D U O T O N E 24 25 W H Y C O N C E P T B L U E