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COVESTRO PUSHING BOUNDARIES
Innovative plastic materials to make the world a brighter place.
Climate change, Urbanization, Demographic change, Population growth, Mobility and Digital revolution – are huge global challenges and set limits to our current way of life.
Covestro goes the extra mile to master these challenges and push the bound- aries of what is possible.
This is how innovative solutions are achieved – efficiently, economically and sustainably.
Climate change: The global average temperature will rise by up to 1.5 °C by 2030.
Covestro answers with products and solutions for economical cars, energy- efficient houses and renewable energies
Population growth: The world population will reach 9.7 bn people by 2050 – compared to 7.5 bn today.
Covestro answers with products and solutions for a reliable food supply and to create affordable housing.
Mobility By 2050 around 2 bn cars will be on the roads – more than twice as many as today.
Covestro answers with products and solutions for sustainable mobility – to make vehicles lighter, safer and more comfortable.
With new materials from Covestro, the limits of what is technically feasible can be pushed: High-tech polymers, groundbreaking coatings and novel light functions enable a quantum leap into a new era of innovative mobility con- cepts that combine revolutionary design with a high standard of performance. Covestro is making great strides in this direction and works closely with scien- tists, universities and companies. The aim is to find solutions for the increasing demands – e.g. in the future technologies of e-mobility and autonomous dri- ving.
Urbanization By 2050 70% of the global population will live in cities.
Covestro answers with products and solutions for the energy-efficient and aesthetic design of buildings in areas of high population density.
Covestro supports sustainable urban development.
Demographic change By 2050 the number of people over 60 will double to up to around 2 bn.
Covestro answers with products and solutions for more hygienic and resource-saving medical care
Digital revolution In 2020 34 bn devices will be connected to the internet – compared to 10 bn in 2015.
Covestro answers with products and solutions to improve the efficiency, design, safety and usability of electronic devices.
Covestro technologies are Efficient Solutions
Covestro has recently been granted the Solar Impulse Efficient Solutions Label for two projects, which have been proven as economically profitable as well as environmentally protective solutions: solar-powered greenhouses for drying food to preserve it, and a waterborne technology called INSQIN® for sustain- able textile coating. This Label from the Solar Impulse Foundation serves as a new and credible symbol and as a guarantee of quality to those looking to implement clean solutions.
The solar greenhouse dryer is an efficient, decentralized, cost-effective and sustainable solution for reduction of post-harvest losses in agricultural prod- ucts. The high efficiency of the dryer is achieved through the use of polycar- bonate for construction of a parabolically shaped greenhouse. The material is transparent to visible and in particular infrared light and shows good thermal insulating properties, allowing the dryer to heat up quickly.
The installation of solar dryers for food preservation is part of Covestro´s “inclusive business” approach, with which the company wants to strengthen local economic development, alleviate poverty and support social progress by integrating low-income communities in the value chain. So far Covestro has
provided the materials for the installation of more than 1,500 solar dryers in different sizes in India and different ASEAN countries, by that significantly increasing the income of regional farmers.
Waterborne INSQIN® technology for sustainable textile coating - Sustainable manufacture of coated textiles
With its INSQIN® technology, Covestro significantly increases the sustainability of textile coating.
The technology is based on waterborne polyurethane coatings, making textile production more eco-friendly and easier to handle. Using INSQIN®, the pro- duction of coated fabrics also requires up to 95 percent less water and 50 per- cent less energy.
For implementation of the technology, Covestro is working directly together with brand owners in the apparel and footwear industries as well as with tex- tile manufacturers. Only recently, the company also introduced the technolo- gy in the automotive industry, where INSQIN® enables more sustainable, flexi- ble and durable coatings in the car interior – with a premium look and feel.
Covestro provides sustainable solution for new concept car Toyota “LQ” electric concept car
Lightweight materials will play an increasingly important role in future mobili- ty, e.g. they will further extend the range of electric cars. Covestro as a provider of material solutions has a long-term experience in the global auto- motive industry. This also applies to the Japanese market, where the Innovation Center of Covestro has already developed many sustainable solu- tions, for instance components for low-density polyurethane foams.
Based on its innovation leadership, Covestro was chosen as partner by Toyota Boshoku Corporation, a car component manufacturer of the Japanese Toyota Group, for jointly developing a new polyurethane composite material for the new electric concept car “LQ” developed by Toyota Motor Corporation. The material is based on a combination of Covestro's advanced Baypreg® F NF technology and Toyota Boshoku's expertise in using kenaf fibers, and offers a lightweight and sustainable solution. In the “LQ”, the new product is used in door trims, where it makes its world premiere in a car model of this manufac- turer.
Kenaf is a member of the hibiscus genus and is growing in regions such as South East Asia, Bangladesh, India and Africa. The fiber is obtained from bast fibers of the kenaf plant and has recently attracted increasing attention as a cost-effective raw material with good mechanical properties. In the automo- tive industry, the plant fiber is also attracting increasing interest as an alterna- tive raw material.
The kenaf fiber-reinforced polyurethane foam composite is characterized by a very low area density of less than 1 kg/m2 and high strength, making the door trim made of the fiber-reinforced kenaf polyurethane foam 30 percent lighter than that produced from conventional materials. The lighter the material, the further the car can travel on a single gas or battery charge.
About Covestro:
With 2019 sales of EUR 12.4 billion, Covestro is among the world’s largest poly- mer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high- tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for prod- ucts used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the auto- motive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and elec- tronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 17,200 people (calculated as full-time equiva- lents) at the end of 2019.
Covestro Italy is part of the global Covestro business.
Compounding, packaging and Color Competence & Design Center for the EMEA Region of polycarbonates and its blends.
The new offices of Filago, the Italian headquarters, is the first structure of its kind built by he brand and challenging the values & vision of the company, a space imbued with Covestro values, the enthusiasm and belief in an incredible future that will be vuilt sharing ideas and actions.
Covestro Via delle Industrie 9 - 24040 Filago (BG) Italy Phone: +39 035 9901 - www.covestro.com
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