Aesthetics, functionality and sustainability for designers

Covestro is using the trade show to target designers and CMF professionals and make its developments tangible. "Together with these important target groups, we are also developing scalable design solutions with a focus on circularity and higher volume production," says Dr. Christopher Stillings, Head of Color & Design in the Engineering Plastics segment. "For inspiration and to start the dialogue, we offer them various aesthetics toolkits that explain the visual and tactile properties of our polycarbonates and other materials, and also introduce 24 trendy colors." The six Color & Design Centers that the company operates worldwide are also located close to customers.

On the road to a circular economy

The vision of Covestro is to become fully circular, and to this end it offers its customers climate-neutral¹ polycarbonates and polyurethane raw materials, but also develops innovative recycling technologies and engages in the reuse of recycled post-consumer plastics.

New polycarbonate grades are carbon-neutral from cradle to factory gate¹, thanks to the use of renewable electricity for production processes at Covestro and the introduction of raw materials derived from mass-balanced biowaste and residual materials. The plastics offer equally good quality as their fossil-based counterparts and can be seamlessly integrated into customers‘ existing production processes without compromising on quality.

Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) have proven to be versatile materials in a variety of applications, from electronic devices to sporting goods. Covestro aims to make the products more circular and is working with partners in the value chain to achieve this. The current range includes partially bio-based raw materials, mass-balanced as well as recycled TPUs.

Due to the good recyclability of TPU, Covestro is expanding its portfolio of recycled grades. Together with Dutch customer Fairphone, the company developed circular material solutions for its Fairphone 3 and 4 models based on fully and partially recycled TPU and polycarbonate grades. 

New trend reports for color, material and finish

On June 10, Covestro will unveil the second edition of its CMF (Color, Material, Finish) trend reports in collaboration with the renowned Shanghai Tongji University, Shanghai Jiaotong University and the Good Matter Design agency. The three trend reports for the automotive, electrical and electronics as well as healthcare industries look at global trends in consumer lifestyles. The trend studies show how the key themes for 2022 and 2023 can be translated into targeted CMF strategies and designs using Covestro products.

¹ The "climate neutral" rating is the result of an assessment of a subsection of the entire product life cycle. The section from resource extraction (cradle) to Covestro’s factory gate was considered. The assessment is based on ISO standard 14040 and was critically reviewed for plausibility by TÜV Rheinland.

Forward-looking statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro’s public reports which are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.