Pet-Friendly Soft Touch Design Delivers Remarkable Fundraising Dog Toy

July 2, 2015

McHENRY, Ill. – PolyOne today announced that Montana’s WO Design relies on high-performance GLS™ Dynaflex™ thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) to manufacture WO|Bone, a unique dog toy that supports the Ethiopia- based charity, Bring Love In. Sales of the WO|Bone are funding nutritious school lunches for Ethiopian orphans.

The material’s soft feel, resilience, durability and striking colors, combine help to differentiate the distinctively designed WO|Bone from other dog toys. Thanks to robust online and retail sales, WO Design has been able to fund 1,000 school lunches in the first three months of its program.

“We’ve been very happy with the PolyOne TPE material, and based on steadily increasing sales our customers agree,” said Josh Allen, founder of WO Design. “The financial success of WO|Bone is enabling us to create change in Ethiopia. This project channels our expertise in the independent retail pet sector and our love of dogs into a worthy cause. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with PolyOne as we consider adding new toys, with the goal of funding 20,000 lunches.”

WO Design chose FDA-compliant Dynaflex TPE for the WO|Bone because it provides an enjoyable mouth feel for dogs while resisting tooth punctures and breakage. In addition, the high-flow TPE easily handles WO|Bone’s molded-in surface textures (divots and bumps) that promote dental health. Low specific gravity allows the WO|Bone to float for water retrieval and play, and the material’s excellent colorability allowed the company to feature the four bright hues of the Ethiopian flag as a market differentiator. In addition to supplying different grades of Dynaflex TPE to WO Design for testing purposes, PolyOne provided color selection expertise.

Bring Love In, the charity supported by WO Design, is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It pairs childless widows with orphans to form a family unit recognized by the government. The orphans attend a school in Addis Ababa.

The WO|Bone, manufactured in the United States, is available at www.wodesign.com and at select retailers.

About PolyOne

PolyOne Corporation, with 2014 revenues of $3.8 billion, is a premier provider of specialized polymer materials, services and solutions. The company is dedicated to serving customers in diverse industries around the globe, by creating value through collaboration, innovation and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Guided by its Core Values, Sustainability Promise and No Surprises PledgeSM, PolyOne is committed to its customers, employees, communities and shareholders through ethical, sustainable and fiscally responsible principles. For more information, visit www.polyone.com.

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