Covestro covers bases with its CSR efforts

German polymer and plastics manufacturer Covestro has vowed to fulfill more corporate responsibilities to serve major social challenges including the issue of China's aging population, by using its knowhow in new materials development.

Covestro partnered with sports flooring manufacturer Jiangmen Changhe Chemical Industry Group to repaint the floors of the laundry room and outdoor corridor at Shenjiang Nursing Home in Shanghai, free of charge, in October.

The two areas, covering nearly 300 square meters, are the most frequently used by elderly people in the house. The newly painted floors not only created a safer and healthier environment for those living there, but also made the 252-bed facility look better, said Gu Jieren, president of Shenjiang Nursing Home.

Covestro China has long been committed to creating corporate social responsibility projects in China to provide support to different groups of people. For instance, Covestro partnered with Zhelin School in Caojing township of Shanghai to teach students regular science lessons. It also provided support to Shanghai Qingcongquan Training Center for Children with Special Needs, a nonprofit organization for children with autism.

"This nursing home flooring project is not only another practical action of Covestro to actively implement corporate social responsibility in China, but also a concrete measure for us to take advantage of our material expertise to help improve the quality of life and give back to society," said Holly Lei, president of Covestro China.

The floor coatings used in the Shenjiang Nursing Home are the result of cooperation between Covestro and Changhe. Covestro's polyurethane coating technology, known as Pasquick, was used to produce the floor coatings, according to the company.

"As a fast-curing technology, Pasquick allowed us to finish construction quickly, minimizing inconvenience for the elderly. Pasquick-based coatings have little odor, good abrasion resistance and higher friction, which make it an ideal material to provide a safe environment for the elderly to live in," said Zhong Xiaobin, senior vice-president of business unit coatings, adhesives and specialties at Covestro Asia Pacific.

Zhong also revealed that Pasquick has already been used in many key projects in China, including in the parking lot of Beijing's brand-new Daxing International Airport, which opened in September.

The new floor coating is an outcome of Covestro's long-fostered "open innovation" concept, according to Lei. Under this concept, all of Covestro's external partners from academia, startups and industries are welcome to partner with the company to promote product research and development.

"The key feature of open innovation is all partners are involved to use their professional knowledge either in identifying new demand or serving the demand. It will help to save time and reduce waste of resources in research and development," Lei said.

In October, Covestro introduced the concept of an "open innovation hub" at its Asia-Pacific Innovation Center in Shanghai, aimed at accelerating the translation of innovative ideas into industrial breakthroughs and to inject new impetus into its growth in China.

"China is setting the pace for technologies in many areas that address future trends, and we see tremendous potential to engage with different innovation partners," Lei said. "With the hub concept we take a step forward in implementing our 'in China, for the world' innovation strategy."

tangzhihao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/21/2019 page15)