Prism Worldwide and Sherwood Industries announce partnership using sustainable thermoplastic elastomers
Niles, IL – Prism Worldwide and Sherwood Industries, a family-owned sheet extruder of thermoplastics, announced a partnership to introduce Prism’s sustainable thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) into extruded TPE sheets. Extruded TPE rubber sheets are widely used across multiple industries, including automotive, where they serve as materials for bin mats, mud flaps, and wheel well protectors. They are also used in household products, appliances, toys, and other everyday items such as tread grips, sporting goods, and tool drawer liners.
Since initiating their collaboration in April 2024, the companies have conducted a series of test production runs and successfully developed extruded TPE sheets for pilot customers. For this phase, Sherwood incorporated Prism’s high-performance Ancora™ polymer, a thermoplastic elastomer made with a high percentage of recycled materials derived from end-of-life tires, into its manufacturing formula. Through rigorous evaluation, both companies refined the formula and enhanced product performance. The official partnership is the result of multiple successful test runs that have consistently produced reliable, high-quality, and highly sustainable sheet stock.
“The demand for more sustainable materials led us to seek partners who could help drive our transition,” said Bob Russin, President, Sherwood Industries. “Prism’s method of compounding old consumer tires into superior quality, engineered TPE material designed for our process has proven to significantly enhance our ability to produce sustainable materials for our customers.”
Testing conducted by Sherwood determined that sheets made with Prism’s TPE match the durability and performance properties of virgin materials while containing a high percentage of recycled content. In 2024 alone, Sherwood produced more than 7.5 million square feet of extruded rubber sheets across four production lines. Following positive customer feedback and successful trial runs, the company is now prepared for immediate commercialization and scaling. In anticipation of increased demand, Sherwood has acquired a new extruder exclusively for producing sustainable rubber sheets containing Prism’s TPEs.
“The significant emerging and unmet demand for more sustainable rubber products has been met with few solutions to meet that demand,” said Bob Abramowitz, CEO, Prism Worldwide. “The vast array of applications for Sherwood’s extruded rubber sheet material allows us to work together to introduce a reliably high-quality TPE to a broad range of industries. Our process of engineering sustainable polymers using end-of-life rubber tires provides a high-tech answer for a material that was formerly relegated to low-tech applications, such as being glued into mats or being shredded for use on playgrounds and ball fields. In the process, we’re also helping companies to meet their sustainability goals.”
Sherwood’s extruded rubber and urethane foam products are ISO 9001:2015 certified, ensuring the company meets global standards for quality management.
Prism recently announced a $40 million Series A funding round that is being used to consolidate operations, invest in technology and equipment and expand its team.