Today, Baerlocher is one of the global market leaders in the production of calcium-based stabilizers. In the EU, lead has no longer been used in the production of stabilizers since 2016. Other heavy metals have been eliminated much earlier. It is the result of a critical dialogue with the public and politicians, but also research for innovative and more environmentally friendly alternatives. A historic milestone is the voluntary commitment of the European PVC industry to phase out lead. Dr Michael Rosenthal and Baerlocher have worked hard to this end.

The problem: lead and other heavy metals
Lead has been used as a material for thousands of years. However, when researchers in the 20th century found significant concentrations of lead in the environment and in blood samples, they sounded the alarm. Lead and other heavy metals come under the scrutiny of the critical public worldwide because of their toxicological properties. Other heavy metals also soon come under criticism, in the 1990s plastics and PVC in general. While the "Chemische Werke München - Otto Bärlocher" initially stood on the sidelines, in the 1970s it was surrounded by residential areas. Protests from residents is not long in coming. The mood is testy on all sides. The search for a new production site also becomes a problem. But Baerlocher faces up to the situation and at the same time has to find a fundamentally different way of dealing with public expectations. When a new plant is built in Lingen, limit values are to be undercut many times over with foresight. Under Dr Michael Rosenthal, the search for alternatives begins in the 1980s.

The aim is to develop high-performance, toxicologically and ecologically safe Ca/Zn stabilizers for rigid and flexible PVC. From 1987 onwards, heavy metal-free systems are also produced in Lingen. Three years later, Ca/Zn products for cable production follow. Zinc, calcium, magnesium and aluminum are also increasingly used for metal soaps. Baerlocher soon spends up to 75 percent of its research budget on development of these solutions But despite initial successes, there is uncertainty as to who will win the race in the market. That is why everyone at Baerlocher is working at full speed. In Lingen, Munich, Lodi and Bury.

In 1994, Ca/Zn systems are promoted for rigid PVC foam, lead-free BAEROPAN are developed for the cable sector. Lingen soon produces Ca/Zn systems in all common delivery forms. But many customers need to be convinced that the alternative is equivalent or even superior. It is a tightrope walk in a market that demands tried and tested solutions; a situation that can also be observed today in Asia, for example. But they do exist, the pioneers who at that time switched to Ca/Zn solutions, for example for leading companies in the window profiles industry, after receiving advice from Baerlocher.

At the turn of the millennium, however, there were still, for example, 120 kilotons of lead-based one-packs on the market compared to only 18 kilotons on a Ca/Zn basis. This is why Michael Rosenthal and his partners are successfully working to overcome resistance to the lead phase-out. In 2000, almost 95 %of the companies concerned participated in the voluntary commitment "Vinyl 2010". In 2015, the marketing of additives containing lead ends in the EU-28. In 2016, the last production line at Baerlocher comes to an end. The successor "VinylPlus" is regarded as a benchmark worldwide.

And the company also continues with its products. In 2004, for example, Baerlocher presents Ca-based granulates for high-quality window profiles, and in 2010 a complete Ca-organic product line for pipes and fittings. Three years later, the complete portfolio is compliant with the EU REACH directive. Baerlocher is also pushing heavy metal alternatives outside Europe. In India, a new Ca/-Zn powder product plant is commissioned in 2006, for example for cables as well as Ca/Zn-based PVC compounds. In China, a new Ca/Zn production line is built in 2021, and in 2023 a modern new plant will open in India that is CO2 -optimized and produces exclusively lead-free.

Into the future with Ca/Zn
The decision to stay ahead of the trend wherever possible still characterizes Baerlocher today. It is the will for excellence, a clear commitment to sustainability as a central task of the entire industry. As a producer and responsible partner, Baerlocher is actively involved in shaping this. As a perfect match for customers, society and - the future.