Covestro showcases latest sustainability innovations at CIIE

Covestro, one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-quality polymer materials and their components, is showcasing its latest innovations in the fields of sustainability and low carbon at the ongoing fifth China International Import Expo. The company's goal is to empower its partners for bigger objectives in circular economy development.

Covestro's presentation at the 2022 CIIE, titled "Together for a climate-neutral future", includes an array of new solutions covering needs for mobility, clean energy, green buildings and sustainable living.

"The world is increasingly facing enormous challenges. It is in our hands to meet them and set the course for a green, smart and safe future. Many ideas, concepts and technologies are there, and they now need to be realized with determination," said Markus Steilemann, CEO of Covestro.

"At the CIIE, we want to raise awareness of building a circular economy and of climate neutrality by presenting particularly innovative and sustainable material solutions. At the same time, we want to strengthen relationships with our partners in China and around the world."

Covestro, which has been committed to reducing its carbon footprint and also helping its downstream industries to reduce their carbon footprints, is displaying the latest application of its ISCC Plus certified polyurethane raw material toluene diisocyanate, or TDI, from mass-balanced feedstock.

According to the company, TDI is a key building block of polyurethane flexible foams, which are widely used in the furniture, automotive, and shoe industries.

It can also be used in the production of polyurethane coatings and adhesives. Mass balance is a chain of custody methods that allow fossil and alternative feedstock to be mixed in production.

Hong Kong-based Sinomax, a global manufacturer and distributor of polyurethane-based comfort products, makes the global debut of its first low-carbon mattress at the Covestro booth.

According to Covestro, the application can reduce carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by about 10 kilograms for a single mattress. Covestro signed its first commercial contract for supplying its ISCC Plus certified polyurethane raw material TDI from mass-balanced feedstock to Sinomax at the end of 2021.

"We are honored to stage the world debut of our new low-carbon sleep system products together with Covestro at the CIIE," said Eric Cheung, president of Sinomax.

"This marks a major step toward sustainable development at Sinomax Group, amid growing market demand for low-carbon products in China and around the globe. We look forward to expanding our cooperation with Covestro on a global scale to deliver more sustainable products."

Other solutions featuring the mass-balanced method at CIIE include low-carbon coatings applied to the wood structure on Covestro's booth.

The coatings were made by Chinese company Baichuan and were based on a new type of hardener from Covestro, known as the Desmodur CQ.

The hardener contains more than 30 percent biomass, according to ISCC Plus, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by more than 20 percent from cradle to Covestro's factory gate.

Covestro said CQ stands for circular intelligence and is new branding developed to underline its commitment to circularity. The range of solutions carrying CQ is expanding.

"We believe mass-balanced solutions, among other low-carbon materials, are crucial to supporting the sustainable development and climate-neutral future of various industries and society," said Covestro China President Holly Lei.

"But to broaden this impact, we rely on the strength of more partnerships, and that's why we are here at the CIIE."

Strengthening partnership

Covestro, participating in the CIIE for the second time, is also keen to giving full play to the trade fair to strengthen ties and communication with its global partners.

During the 2022 CIIE, it has signed an agreement with the Chinese premium smart energy vehicle HiPhi to create the next-generation solutions to make mobility smarter and greener, according to the company. Under the new agreement, Covestro's latest products, such as carbon dioxide-reduced polycarbonates, coating and adhesive solutions, are expected to be applied in HiP-hi's future models, enabling future functions while reducing their carbon footprints.

In recent years, Covestro has been ramping up efforts and expanding its investment to serve sustainable development in China.

This year, it has started construction on three new plants at its integrated site in Shanghai to meet the rising demand for different materials from a wide range of industries. The Covestro Integrated Site in Shanghai, which comprises 11 plants and is the company's largest site in the world, obtained ISCC Plus mass balance certification in 2021, meaning it can supply customers with larger product volumes from renewably attributed raw materials, according to the company. "We look forward to further advancing our sustainable development agenda in China through advocacy and collaboration with our customers, partners and other key stakeholders here," Lei said.