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Talc in your life

Brief analysis of several areas of talc application allows for a conclusion that our product is highly-demanded on the market of natural minerals.

Life depends on industrial minerals - but what does that mean to you? Our products find their way into thousands of objects you use every day, probably without even noticing. Here are some examples of ways our minerals touch your life.

Key markets

The four key markets accounting for about 80% of produced talc are:

papermaking;
manufacture of lacquers, paints, smoothing materials, etc.;
manufacture of films and plastics (including special types), polypropylene, compounds, etc.;
manufacture of all types of ceramics (including special-purpose ceramics).

In addition, talc is used in many other industries, such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The aforesaid industries set special requirements to the talc quality, both in terms of size distribution and purification degree.

Talc in cosmetics

In cosmetics, the use of talc amounts to two percent of its total consumption.

The natural properties of talc bring lasting, texture and water-repellent properties to cosmetic products and allow them to stay on the skin for a longer period.

Talc is a component of tooth pastes and tooth powders, face and body creams and lotions, massage powders, and other products. In dry antiperspirants, talc is used as filler, since it has the property of sticking to the skin. In cosmetic eyeshadows, talc accounts for up to 80% of the mass.

The key area is talc usage in cosmetics is baby powder. Talc is the basis of baby skin care products, as it absorbs moisture, reduces irritation and itching, and provides an antiseptic effect.

Talc in medicine and pharmaceuticals

The requirements for the quality of the minerals are very high and the organization of the production of medical talc requires significant investments in equipment. This is the most "expensive" and "closed" sector of talc consumption.

In pharmaceuticals, it is used as a filler for pills, and as a component of nutritional supplements that contain magnesium and calcium.

Talc in other industries

In the food industry, talc is used as a thickener, and to provide gloss to glazes and caramels (food additive Е553b permitted in the EU).

Talc is used as a solid lubricant; as an additive to lube oils to extend the service life of internal combustion engines; and as a non-stick coating in the metals industry.

In areas such as: production of roofing materials, purification of polluted water, agriculture, rubber industry, and food industry - the requirements for the quality of talc are not so critical and consumption volumes are comparatively low.

Product markets

Standardized Life-Cycle-Assessment methodology

Based on a standardized Life-Cycle Assessment methodology including cradle-to-grave reviews, the SustainAgility™ Solutions method provides us with a better understanding of the environmental footprint of our products at all stages of their life cycles as well as a strong framework for providing customers with reliable and specific data.

The assessment scores our products and services on two factors:

Sustainable value creation – the balance between the economic value created and the environmental damage involved in mining and manufacturing our products.
Sustainable value creation – the balance between the economic value created and the environmental damage involved in mining and manufacturing our products.
Market alignment – the level of sustainability-related benefits or challenges (interdisciplinary assessment based on an evaluation of public communication and feedback from key stakeholders).