Silicone and Rubber in Promotional Products: The Complete Buyer’s Guide
Published by GiftSuppliers.ae | Knowledge Hub | Buyer’s Materials & Sourcing Guide Reading time: approximately 12 minutes
Silicone occupies a distinctive and growing niche in the UAE corporate promotional products market — a material that is simultaneously premium in performance, accessible in cost, and uniquely appropriate for applications where conventional hard plastics, metals, and textiles cannot deliver the required combination of properties.
The defining characteristics of silicone — extraordinary temperature stability, soft tactile quality, food-grade safety, chemical inertness, colour stability, and flexible formability — create a specific set of promotional product applications where silicone is not a compromise but a genuinely optimal material choice. For branded kitchen accessories, food-safe promotional gifts, wearable branded items in outdoor UAE conditions, flexible electronic accessories, and tactile brand communication pieces, silicone’s properties deliver results that no other material category can replicate.
Rubber — both natural rubber and synthetic thermoplastic rubber (TPR/TPE) — shares silicone’s flexibility and tactile quality but with different performance characteristics and a wider cost range. Understanding the distinctions between silicone grades, natural rubber, and synthetic rubber alternatives gives buyers the specification knowledge to use this material category intelligently — neither over-specifying premium silicone where standard rubber serves adequately, nor under-specifying by accepting cheaper rubber alternatives in applications where silicone’s specific properties are the product’s essential quality.
This guide completes the GiftSuppliers.ae Buyer’s Materials & Sourcing Guide’s coverage of the ten major promotional product material categories — providing the practical knowledge for specifying, verifying, and sourcing silicone and rubber promotional products for UAE and GCC corporate programmes.
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What Is Silicone?
Silicone is a synthetic polymer based on a silicon-oxygen (Si-O) backbone — distinct from carbon-based polymers like polyethylene or ABS. The silicon-oxygen backbone gives silicone fundamentally different properties from conventional plastics:
Temperature stability: Silicone is stable across a temperature range of approximately -60°C to +230°C. This extraordinary thermal range means silicone retains its flexibility, dimensional stability, and physical properties at temperatures that would melt most conventional plastics or cause natural rubber to degrade. For UAE outdoor environments where product surface temperatures can exceed 80°C in direct summer sun, silicone maintains its integrity and appearance where many alternative materials would fail.
Chemical inertness: Silicone is chemically inert to most acids, alkalis, oils, and organic solvents. It does not react with or absorb the vast majority of chemical substances it contacts in normal promotional product use — making it ideal for food-contact, beverage-contact, and kitchen accessory applications.
Flexibility: Silicone is highly flexible and elastic — it deforms under pressure and returns to its original shape. This flexibility enables promotional products that conform to curved surfaces, grip irregular shapes, and provide cushioning or grip in use.
Biocompatibility: Platinum-cured silicone (the premium silicone formulation) is biocompatible — it is used in medical implants, neonatal feeding items, and food-contact applications where material safety at the highest standard is required. Platinum-cured silicone for food-contact promotional products is the definitive safety specification.
Colour stability: Silicone can be pigmented in a wide range of colours — including Pantone-matched colours for brand-specific specifications. Silicone pigments are stable under the temperature ranges the material experiences, producing colour that does not fade, bleed, or change under normal use conditions including UAE outdoor UV exposure.
Silicone Grades and Certifications
The silicone category encompasses several grades with significantly different properties, applications, and cost profiles.
Platinum-cured silicone (food-grade):
Platinum-cured silicone uses a platinum catalyst system for vulcanisation (crosslinking) — producing a silicone with no byproduct residues, exceptional purity, and the highest food-contact safety standards. Platinum-cured silicone meets:
- FDA 21 CFR 177.2600 (US food contact standard)
- EU EC 1935/2004 (European food contact framework)
- German BfR XV (German food contact standard — one of the world’s strictest)
- LFGB (German food safety law — the benchmark standard for food-contact silicone globally)
For any silicone promotional product intended for food or beverage contact — branded kitchen accessories, silicone-sealed food containers, silicone cup sleeves, silicone ice cube trays — platinum-cured silicone with LFGB or equivalent certification is the correct specification.
Peroxide-cured silicone:
Peroxide-cured silicone uses an organic peroxide catalyst for vulcanisation. The peroxide curing process leaves residual byproducts (peroxide decomposition products) that reduce the material’s food-contact suitability relative to platinum-cured grades. Peroxide-cured silicone is acceptable for non-food-contact applications — phone cases, wristbands, gaskets, and general promotional accessories — but should not be specified for food-contact promotional products.
Peroxide-cured silicone is less expensive than platinum-cured and is the standard specification for general promotional silicone items where food-contact is not a requirement.
Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR):
Liquid Silicone Rubber is a two-component platinum-cured silicone system that is injection-moulded in a liquid state — producing components with exceptional dimensional precision, very fine feature reproduction, and excellent surface quality. LSR is used for premium silicone promotional items where high-detail moulding and premium surface finish are required. LSR components are typically platinum-cured and food-safe.
High-Consistency Rubber (HCR):
The more traditional silicone form — a high-viscosity compound that is compression or transfer moulded or extruded. HCR silicone is used for wristbands, gaskets, flat silicone items, and accessories where the precise dimensional control of LSR injection moulding is not required.
Thermoplastic Rubber (TPR/TPE): The Flexible Alternative
Thermoplastic rubber (TPR, also called TPE — thermoplastic elastomer) is a class of materials that combines the elastic properties of rubber with the processing characteristics of thermoplastics — it can be injection moulded like a hard plastic but produces a flexible, rubber-like component.
TPR properties:
TPR materials are block copolymers — their molecular structure contains both hard (crystalline) polymer blocks and soft (elastomeric) blocks, giving them a combination of structural integrity and rubber-like flexibility. Common TPR/TPE families include SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene), SEBS (styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene), and TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane).
TPR advantages for promotional products:
Cost efficiency: TPR is significantly less expensive than platinum-cured silicone — typically 40–70% of the silicone cost for equivalent volume products. For promotional items where flexibility and soft-touch quality are required but food-contact safety is not, TPR provides an economical alternative.
Processing versatility: TPR can be overmoulded onto rigid plastic substrates — producing soft-grip handles, protective bumpers, and tactile grip elements on otherwise rigid promotional products. This two-component moulding capability is extensively used in premium promotional pens, tool handles, and tech accessories.
Colour range: TPR is available in a wide range of colours with reasonable colour consistency. Pantone-matched TPR is achievable for brand-specific applications.
TPR limitations:
Temperature range: TPR has a narrower temperature range than silicone — most SEBS-based TPR begins to soften above 100–120°C and becomes brittle at temperatures below -20°C. For UAE outdoor use where surface temperatures can approach 80–90°C, TPR quality varies with formulation. Higher-quality SEBS-based TPR handles UAE temperatures better than SBS-based formulations.
Food contact: Standard TPR formulations are not food-grade — they do not meet the same safety standards as platinum-cured silicone. For food-contact promotional items, platinum-cured silicone is the correct specification.
TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane):
TPU is a premium TPE with exceptional abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, and a wide temperature range — from approximately -40°C to +80°C. TPU is used for premium phone cases, electronic device covers, protective cases, and branded accessories where durability and aesthetic quality are the primary requirements. TPU produces a more premium appearance than standard TPR and accepts pad printing and UV printing well.
Natural Rubber in Promotional Products
Natural rubber (latex rubber) is produced from the sap of the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis). It has elastic properties that synthetic rubbers approximate but do not fully replicate — particularly the combination of high elasticity, excellent tear resistance, and good abrasion resistance.
Natural rubber applications in promotional products:
Stress relief toys: Classic branded stress balls and stress relief items in natural rubber latex — the material’s exceptional elasticity and resilience under repeated compression make it the functional standard for this category.
Elastic bands and promotional accessories: Branded rubber bands, elastic promotional accessories, and flexible branded items.
Rubber stamps: The traditional desk accessory — branded rubber stamp pads using natural rubber printing surfaces.
Natural rubber limitations:
Latex allergy: Natural rubber latex contains proteins that can trigger allergic reactions in latex-sensitive individuals — a non-trivial concern in healthcare environments and in contexts where recipients’ latex allergy status is unknown. For promotional products distributed in healthcare settings, latex-free alternatives (synthetic rubber, silicone, TPR) are the safer specification.
UV degradation: Natural rubber degrades under UAE outdoor UV exposure more rapidly than silicone or synthetic rubber alternatives — the rubber oxidises and cracks under sustained high-UV conditions. For outdoor UAE applications, synthetic rubber or silicone is preferable to natural rubber.
Silicone Promotional Product Applications in UAE Corporate Gifting
Kitchen and food accessories: Platinum-cured food-grade silicone is the premium material for branded kitchen accessories — silicone spatulas, oven gloves, food storage container lids, silicone ice cube trays, food-safe cup sleeves, and reusable food packaging accessories. These items are permanently relevant in recipients’ daily lives, creating sustained brand presence in the kitchen and at mealtimes.
For UAE corporate gifting, branded silicone kitchen sets — a silicone spatula, silicone oven mitt, and silicone food storage lid in coordinated brand colours — represent a practical, premium-positioned gift that recipients use regularly and value for its functional quality.
Branded wristbands and fitness accessories:
Silicone wristbands — the promotional item that achieved global recognition through charity fundraising campaigns — remain one of the most widely distributed branded silicone promotional items in the UAE. The comfort, durability, and colour flexibility of silicone make branded wristbands appropriate for sporting events, corporate fitness challenges, awareness campaigns, and youth-oriented brand activations.
For premium-tier branded wristbands, debossed (recessed) or embossed (raised) logo marks within the silicone are more premium than printed surface marks — the structural mark is permanent and integral to the material, whereas surface printing may fade with wear.
Electronic accessories:
Silicone protective phone cases, cable organiser clips, screen wipe pouches, laptop sleeves with silicone elements, and branded silicone cable ties are practical everyday-use branded items where silicone’s combination of flexibility, durability, and surface grip quality produces genuinely useful products.
For UAE corporate gifting, a branded silicone phone stand or cable management kit serves daily practical functions while maintaining permanent brand presence on the recipient’s desk.
Travel and outdoor accessories:
Silicone’s temperature stability and water resistance make it appropriate for travel-context branded items: collapsible silicone travel cups, silicone travel bottle bags, silicone luggage tag holders, and silicone travel accessories for the active UAE professional.
For UAE outdoor event merchandise and sports day branded items, silicone’s resistance to sweat, water, and UAE outdoor temperatures makes it a more durable branded material than conventional plastics for wearable and grip-contact promotional items.
Promotional novelty and stress items:
Silicone stress items — branded stress balls, tactile fidget items, squeeze toys — use the material’s elasticity and soft tactile quality to create desk-present branded items with high touch-and-engagement frequency. In corporate environments where desk items receive regular handling, silicone’s soft, pleasant tactile quality creates more frequent brand contact than hard plastic alternatives.
Advantages of Silicone for UAE Promotional Products
Extraordinary UAE climate performance: Silicone’s stability from -60°C to +230°C makes it the best-performing material category for UAE outdoor, vehicle-storage, and temperature-extreme applications. A silicone wristband, phone case, or promotional accessory stored in a UAE vehicle in summer — where interior temperatures can exceed 80°C — retains its dimensional form, flexibility, colour, and functional properties. Standard ABS begins to soften; TPR quality varies with formulation; silicone is entirely unaffected.
Tactile brand communication: Silicone’s soft, warm tactile quality creates a distinctive material experience that communicates quality differently from hard metals, smooth plastics, or rigid materials. A branded silicone item that is frequently touched, squeezed, or held creates more intimate brand contact than a promotional item that is only seen. The sensory quality of good silicone communicates craft and material investment.
Colour versatility and brand matching: Silicone can be pigmented to Pantone-matched colours with excellent consistency across production runs. For brand-specific silicone promotional items, Pantone-matched colour in the silicone material itself — not as a surface coating that can fade — provides permanent brand colour accuracy.
Hygiene and washability: Silicone is non-porous, does not absorb bacteria or odours, and can be washed repeatedly without degradation. For kitchen accessories, food-contact items, and wearable promotional products, silicone’s hygiene properties create genuine quality advantages — the branded silicone kitchen accessory that a recipient washes and uses daily for years is a high-value brand impression investment.
Versatile forming capabilities: Silicone can be moulded into complex three-dimensional forms — from flat wristbands to elaborate kitchen accessory shapes to detailed stress toy figures. The moulding precision of LSR silicone in particular enables very fine detail reproduction, intricate shapes, and complex multi-cavity moulding that hard plastics achieve with difficulty at promotional product pricing.
Limitations of Silicone and Rubber
Cost relative to hard plastics: Platinum-cured silicone is significantly more expensive than equivalent volume ABS or PP components — typically 3–6x the material cost for equivalent promotional item volumes. This cost premium is appropriate for applications where silicone’s specific properties are essential (food-contact, temperature extremes, premium tactile quality), but makes silicone economically unsuitable for standard-tier promotional items where PP or ABS adequately serve the function.
Surface printing adhesion: Silicone’s chemical inertness — the property that makes it food-safe and chemically resistant — also makes it less receptive to standard printing inks. Standard pad printing and screen printing inks do not adhere reliably to silicone without specialist silicone inks and surface activation treatments (corona, plasma, or fluorination). Confirm silicone-specific ink systems and surface treatment from any supplier of printed silicone promotional items — and conduct adhesion testing before bulk production.
Limited structural rigidity: Silicone’s flexibility, which is a performance advantage in wristbands and kitchen accessories, is a limitation in applications requiring structural rigidity. Silicone cannot be used as a structural material — a silicone pen body would be too flexible to write with, a silicone award plaque would not hold its form on a desk. Silicone’s applications are concentrated in items where flexibility is an advantage or at least neutral.
Perception as inexpensive material: In the UAE corporate gifting context, silicone is not universally perceived as a premium material — particularly among recipients who primarily associate it with mass-market items (cheap phone cases, low-value promotional wristbands). For premium gifting tiers where material quality signalling is primary, silicone items must be designed and positioned carefully to communicate premium quality — through precise moulding detail, Pantone-matched brand colour, premium packaging, and context-appropriate product selection.
Branding Methods for Silicone and Rubber
Debossing and Embossing (in-mould): The most durable and most aesthetically integrated branding technique for silicone products. The brand mark — logo, text, or pattern — is incorporated into the mould cavity during manufacturing, producing a raised (embossed) or recessed (debossed) permanent mark that is structurally integral to the silicone piece. In-mould marks cannot be worn, scratched, or washed off — the mark is part of the material.
For silicone wristbands, branded silicone covers, and premium silicone accessories, debossed or embossed logo marks are the premium branding specification — not surface printed.
Silicone Ink Screen Printing: Screen printing on silicone using specialist silicone-compatible inks produces coloured surface marks — logos, text, and simple graphics — on silicone surfaces. Silicone-specific inks and curing processes are required for adequate adhesion and wash durability. Well-specified silicone screen printing (correct ink chemistry, adequate cure, surface activation) produces acceptable durability — typically 50+ wash cycles.
Pad Printing with Silicone Inks: For curved silicone surfaces, pad printing with silicone-compatible inks produces single-colour and multi-colour marks. The same ink chemistry and surface activation requirements apply as for screen printing.
Colour-in-mould: For silicone wristbands and flat silicone items with two-colour designs, colour-in-mould (also called “dual layer” or “segment colour”) is a premium technique: the silicone is moulded in two operations — a primary colour fill for the body, followed by a secondary colour fill for the logo or design element. The resulting product has a two-colour design where the colours are integral to the silicone — not surface printed — and therefore permanent and wash-durable.
Laser Marking: CO₂ or fibre laser marking on silicone produces a permanent mark by altering the surface chemistry or pigmentation of the silicone at the laser contact point. CO₂ laser on light-coloured silicone produces a slightly darker, slightly textured mark — appropriate for logo marks and text on premium silicone promotional items. Laser marking on silicone does not require surface activation and produces no material deposition — the mark is entirely permanent.
Production Considerations
Mould tooling for custom silicone: Custom-shaped silicone promotional products require injection mould tooling — typically aluminium tooling for small production runs (lower cost, shorter life) or steel tooling for larger production runs (higher cost, longer life). Tooling costs for standard simple silicone shapes (wristbands, simple accessories) range from AED 1,000–5,000. Complex three-dimensional silicone shapes (detailed stress toys, multi-cavity kitchen accessories) require AED 5,000–25,000 tooling. This tooling investment amortises across production — the per-unit tooling cost decreases as production volume increases.
Minimum order quantities: Standard silicone wristbands (using existing standard moulds): 100–500 pieces MOQ at most UAE promotional product suppliers. Custom silicone shapes with new tooling: 500–1,000 pieces minimum to justify tooling cost. Food-grade platinum-cured silicone kitchen accessories: typically 500–2,000 pieces for custom-colour, custom-branded production.
Silicone colour matching: Silicone pigment colour matching to Pantone references requires the colour to be mixed into the raw silicone material before moulding. Unlike surface-applied paints or inks, the colour is integral to the material — which means colour is consistent throughout the piece thickness. Pantone colour matching in silicone is achievable with a typical Delta-E tolerance of ±2–3 — close but not identical to the Pantone reference due to the translucent base quality of silicone affecting the perceived hue.
For brand-critical Pantone matching, request coloured silicone chips or sample moulded pieces in the specified colour before production approval — the colour must be evaluated in the actual silicone material, not from a colour reference card or screen display.
Platinum-cured certification documentation: For food-grade silicone promotional products, request the following documentation before bulk production:
- LFGB test report (German food contact standard — globally recognised as the most demanding)
- FDA 21 CFR compliance declaration
- REACH compliance declaration
- Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the silicone compound
Retain these documents as part of the product compliance record for any programme distributing food-contact promotional items.
Common Silicone and Rubber Specification Mistakes to Avoid
Specifying silicone without confirming platinum-cured grade for food-contact: Peroxide-cured silicone is less expensive than platinum-cured and looks identical — but is not appropriate for food-contact promotional products. For any silicone promotional item that will contact food or beverages, specify platinum-cured silicone explicitly and request LFGB test documentation before bulk production.
Using standard printing inks on silicone without surface activation: Standard pad printing or screen printing inks applied to silicone without appropriate surface activation (corona, plasma, or fluorination treatment) and silicone-compatible ink chemistry will fail the adhesion test — the ink pulls away from the silicone surface under minimal mechanical stress. Always confirm silicone-specific ink systems and surface treatment from any printed silicone promotional product supplier, and conduct the adhesive tape pull test on samples before bulk production.
Confusing TPR with silicone in catalogue descriptions: Many promotional product catalogues describe TPR items as “silicone-like” or use the terms interchangeably. TPR and silicone have meaningfully different properties — particularly in temperature stability, food-contact safety, and chemical inertness. For applications requiring genuine silicone properties (food-contact, UAE outdoor temperature extremes, medical-grade safety), confirm the material is silicone (not TPR) with a material data sheet.
Not accounting for silicone tooling lead time: Custom-shaped silicone promotional products require mould tooling production before manufacturing can begin — typically 3–6 weeks for aluminium tooling and 6–10 weeks for steel tooling. Buyers who brief custom silicone items without understanding the tooling lead time requirement face production timelines that cannot be met. For any custom silicone shape, build tooling time into the programme timeline from the first planning conversation.
Specifying natural rubber for latex-allergic audiences: Natural rubber latex contains proteins that trigger latex allergy reactions in sensitised individuals — a concern for healthcare environments, public events with diverse attendees, and any context where recipient latex allergy status is unknown. For such contexts, specify latex-free alternatives: food-grade silicone, SEBS-based TPR, or synthetic rubber alternatives. This specification protects recipients and the distributing organisation from liability.
Regional Insights — UAE, GCC and Africa
UAE: Silicone promotional products have a growing presence in the UAE corporate market — driven by the material’s unique fitness for the UAE climate, by the growth of health and fitness culture in UAE corporate environments, and by the practical premium of food-grade silicone kitchen accessories as differentiated gift choices.
The Dubai Fitness Challenge — the city-wide annual fitness initiative — generates significant demand for silicone wristbands and branded fitness accessories in the October-November window. Corporate UAE National Day silicone wristbands in UAE red and green are one of the most consistent annual silicone promotional item categories — simple, durable, cost-efficient at volume, and immediately brand-identifiable.
For Ramadan gifting, silicone kitchen accessory sets — platinum-cured, Pantone-matched, with Arabic-English branding — have emerged as a distinctive and practical premium gift category. The combination of food-safety credentials, daily use functionality, and premium material quality positions silicone kitchen sets as a Ramadan gift that communicates genuine quality investment in a practical, long-life format.
UAE construction and hospitality sectors generate demand for silicone personal protective and hygiene accessories — branded silicone items for workers and staff in environments where heat resistance and hygiene are operational requirements.
Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia’s large workforce in industrial, construction, healthcare, and hospitality sectors creates significant demand for silicone and rubber promotional accessories in corporate uniform and branded workwear programmes. Silicone wristbands for safety awareness campaigns, silicone grip accessories for industrial environments, and food-grade silicone items for hospitality sector gifting are established product categories in the Saudi promotional products market.
Africa: In African markets, silicone promotional products are less widely adopted than in the UAE — both because the premium cost of quality silicone limits its application at the price points most prevalent in African markets, and because the specific climate performance advantages of silicone over standard plastics are less differentiating in cooler African highland markets. In South Africa and coastal sub-Saharan markets where heat and humidity are more extreme, silicone’s durability advantages are more apparent and more commercially relevant.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Silicone Rubber Promotional Products
Q: What is the difference between silicone and rubber for promotional products?
Silicone is a synthetic polymer with a silicon-oxygen backbone — stable from -60°C to +230°C, food-safe (in platinum-cured grade), chemically inert, and UV-stable. Natural rubber is a plant-derived elastic material with excellent elasticity and tear resistance but narrower temperature range, latex allergy risk, and lower UV stability. TPR (thermoplastic rubber) is a synthetic rubber that can be injection-moulded — more economical than silicone but with narrower temperature range and not food-grade in standard formulations. Each has distinct appropriate applications.
Q: What is platinum-cured silicone and why does it matter for food-contact products?
Platinum-cured silicone uses a platinum catalyst for vulcanisation — leaving no curing byproduct residues, producing the highest food-contact purity and safety. Platinum-cured silicone meets LFGB, FDA 21 CFR, and EU EC 1935/2004 food contact standards. Peroxide-cured silicone uses an organic peroxide catalyst that leaves residual byproducts reducing food-contact suitability. For any silicone promotional product in food or beverage contact — kitchen accessories, cup sleeves, food container lids — platinum-cured silicone with LFGB certification is the correct specification.
Q: Will silicone promotional products withstand UAE summer heat in vehicles?
Yes — silicone’s temperature stability extends to +230°C, far above the 70–85°C interior temperatures of UAE vehicles in summer. Silicone wristbands, phone cases, kitchen accessories, and other silicone promotional items stored in UAE vehicles retain their form, flexibility, colour, and functional properties completely unaffected by UAE summer temperatures. This climate resilience is one of silicone’s defining advantages for UAE promotional products versus standard ABS or natural rubber.
Q: Can silicone be Pantone colour-matched for branded promotional products?
Yes — silicone can be pigmented to Pantone-referenced colours with good accuracy. The colour pigment is mixed into the raw silicone compound before moulding, making it integral to the material (not a surface coating). Achievable Delta-E tolerance from the Pantone reference is typically ±2–3 due to silicone’s translucent base character affecting the perceived hue. Request a moulded colour sample in the specified Pantone reference before approving bulk production — colour must be evaluated in the actual silicone material, not from a reference card.
Q: What is the minimum order quantity for custom silicone promotional products?
Standard silicone wristbands using existing moulds: typically 100–500 pieces MOQ. Custom-shaped silicone products requiring new mould tooling: typically 500–1,000 pieces minimum to justify tooling cost. Food-grade platinum-cured silicone kitchen accessories with custom colour and branding: typically 500–2,000 pieces for commercially viable production. Tooling time (3–10 weeks) must be built into the programme timeline for any custom silicone shape.
Q: Is silicone sustainable and recyclable?
Silicone is durable and long-lasting — its service life as a promotional product is measured in years or decades, which is itself a sustainability benefit (a product used for ten years has a much lower per-use environmental impact than one discarded after one use). Standard silicone is not currently widely recyclable in municipal recycling systems — specialist silicone recycling programmes exist but are not yet infrastructure-level accessible in UAE. Bio-based silicone (from bio-derived silica) is an emerging sustainability-positioned silicone development but is not yet commercially mainstream. For sustainability-positioned programmes, silicone’s longevity argument is stronger than recyclability claims.