Eco Resin Doll Companies

Twigling uses eco resin. There probabl are other artists and companies who do, too but I can't remeber right now.

 

Atelier Momoni does, too.

 

I'm curious; in what way is that resin "environmentally-friendly"? We are still talking about polyurethane, right?

 

Same question from me.

Teddy

 

I was reading about eco-resin recently; it seems that eco-resins are plant based and non-toxic (to humans?). I'm not sure they are all the same, but here's a website talking about a few different ones made from plants. It seems there are some that are called bio-resins, but I don't believe they are bio-degradable, which would be pretty darn cool, if they were.

 

Would that be cool? If a doll was biodegradable I'd be terrified of any environmental issues making them break down. I'm not even keen on biodegradable carrier bags in case I keep them too long... So just the idea of resin that's safer for people doing the casting is cool. The environmental impact of discarded BJDs must be miniscule because... who would do that?

 

It appears the Impldoll uses environmentally safe resin as of 2019. They also say that all their skin tones are anti-UV... that's pretty neat...

 

I don't believe all biodegradable plastics degrade that quickly, and I believe they have to be exposed to certain extreme elements/conditions first, to begin to degrade. I'm certainly not going to live forever, so I was just thinking about dying and my BJD "dying" with me being kind of cool, kind of "thinking out-loud." Although, I have no (solid) plans to add to my collection and all of my BJD are older than dust old-school-resin, before eco-friendly resins were a thing, so I more than likely not going to get any new "eco-friendly" BJD. I'm a creepy old fart though, so maybe I'm just super weird and nuts. (:

 

But the resin mentioned in your link is acrylic. Less toxic acrylic resins are nothing new. They are also quite different from polyurethane and have vastly different properties. It is suggesed on the linked page as a substitute to polyester that is, again, quite different.

 

Don't get me wrong, I know they need certain environmental conditions to break down, but I'd be worried that, say, if it was particularly humid and warm, joints would be more prone to wear or something like that. it's probably irrational but it would just worry me.

There's definitely a sort of romance to the idea of taking a biodegradable doll to your grave.

 

Lol! Maybe I was talking out of context, for some weird reason, on a forum about BJD? I meant when I was purchasing BJD, environmentally-friendly resins weren't a thing for BJD to be made out of them. I am not sure when people started using them for casting BJD in, but I know that the options available when I was purchasing, were not environmentally friendly resins. I would have probably still gone with the dolls I own now, because I don't plan on throwing my dolls in the trash or landfills, but it wasn't an option for BJD back when I was actively buying these types of dolls. (:


Edit: I am an insomniac, haven't slept for a few days in a row now, so I apologize because I originally thought you meant I suggested environmentally friendly resins were a new thing, when they are not. I never mentioned them being new, so I was a bit confused. Regardless, I have re-read your comments a few times now, and I think your point is that they are talking about acrylic resin and not PU resin on the link I shared. Which is fair enough. However, I never said they were talking about PU resin, I just said that that's what I found when I was reading about eco-friendly resins, in general, not PU. Maybe that's not what artists/companies casting BJD in environmentally friendly resins are using, I don't know, because I haven't been interested in any new BJD that's cast in eco-resins. I haven't read if they are PU or any other type of resin. I have read that PU resin is less damaging to the environment in the long run, and thusly "inherently" eco-friendly. It is still toxic before casting and curing, but once it is cast and starts to degrade it won't become a problem to the soil, or plants around it. Again, I'm not sure if people casting BJD are using eco-friendly PU resin, or any other kind, but that's all I was able to find about eco-friendly resins when I did a search for PU resins, I didn't say the thread was about PU resin however, just about eco-friendly ones. I hope I didn't confuse what your point was, because I really shouldn't be replying to anyone when I haven't slept in so long (not an excuse, but my sad reality). DX



@Morgue, I am a weirdo, so it's probably just me. It would probably be something that would bother most collectors. I'm on the much older side, so I don't think if I was purchasing new BJD now, I would mind if they started to disintegrate within twenty years of me purchasing them. However, that's probably not something younger collectors would find appealing (yellowing is already an issue). n__n;;

 

Ah, insomnia. I hope you get some sleep soon. I somehow imagine passing things down to my children, even though I have no children, and definitely never will have any.

 

But BJD made from other materials than polyurethane are off topic for this forum.

 

That's right, except for the grandfathered vinyl Volks Dollfie and Obitsu -- I've been on DoA for quite a long time now, so I know which dolls can be discussed on here. (: Again, I was only sharing my findings on "eco-friendly" resins, not having a discussion of dolls made out of it, just sharing the limited info I found on it. Casting polyurethane resin is already a bit more eco-friendly than other types of plastics according to some shops that sell their own (so I don't know how reliable that info is), in the sense that it won't interfere too much with the environment once it begins to disintegrate. However, I didn't find any concrete information on there being a specific type of PU resin that is known to be eco-friendly. That's what I said in my original comment, and that's what I am saying since. I think it's probably a language barrier at this point, so I am not going to keep commenting on here. I feel I didn't break any rules or tried to discuss any off topic subjects, I just shared a link to eco-friendly resins and how those are made. However, if I indeed stepped over the line, on any of those things, the mods can freely delete my comments on this post. (:

 

Does anyone on here actually have an idea what exactly is meant when some BJD companies speak about "environmental resin" (and similar terms)?
I remember in the beginning, a few years ago, some Asian companies used that term synonymously with French, i.e. slightly translucent resin types, then boundaries got even more blurred. It's obvious they are talking about the polyurethane resin they use for dolls, but how is it "environmental", what's the difference compared to standard pu resin? Some doll makers claim it is less or not toxic, but I never saw it explained or defined. Are there facts, or is this just green-washing?

 

Hrm.... I suppose "environmental" could be a translator's word choice for "translucent" because it transmits more light from its environment. Whereas the word "environmental" is so tied up with enviromentalism that native English speakers would only use words like "ambient" or something for that idea. I love things like that.

 

I have been looking into this as well. I've found the following statements on Ringdoll's website:

"Dolls of Ringdoll are made of environment-friendly resin which is perfectly harmless to human skin and respiratory system".
"Dolls are made from non-toxic, environmentally-friendly resin, which feels fine and with no smell in polishing".

This is an important topic for me. Now I'm starting to look more into only buying from such companies, even though I'm not really sure what's in the resin they're using and if it's certainly not toxic.

 

I suppose the other way to look at environmentally-friendly dolls is to purchase second-hand where possible. Not that many dolls get to a landfill, but it's the other option if environmental impact is a concern. (Though no matter what, shipping a doll overseas is likely the bulk of its environmental footprint, no matter the resin type).

 

In my case, it's more about being non-toxic to me that concerns me. I've read how resin dust can get to your lungs and cause serious health problems in the long run. Also, if you can smell resin then you're breathing in small microscopic particles of it. That's why I'm looking for non-toxic to humans "environment-friendly" resin.