Covestro targeting climate neutrality by 2035

Covestro A.G. is listening to its customers in the ongoing discussion on sustainability.

"They're asking us where (sustainability) is heading to, and that's where we have to articulate our vision," Chief Commercial Officer Sucheta Govil said in an interview at the recent K 2022 trade show in Düsseldorf, Germany.

"We want to be able to say that we're fully circular and that we have goals relative to emissions," she added. "We're clear that we're about full circularity."

Leverkusen, Germany-based Covestro has set a goal of being climate-neutral by 2035. The firm also is working with bio-based feedstocks and new recycling technologies.

"The shift to renewables is ongoing," Govil said. "Customers know what they're looking for.

"They want materials that are climate neutral and where we can provide a [life cycle analysis]. And they don't want a loss in performance. They're really driving customer preference," she said.

At K 2022, Covestro emphasized its CQ (circular intelligence) line of products that have at least 25 percent biomass, recycled content or green hydrogen. Officials said that the new materials aim to create greater transparency and to make it easier for customers to distinguish them from conventional, fossil-based products.

Covestro also is working on a polyurethane foam mattress recycling program, with lab-scale samples expected to be available to customers in 2023. Renewable energy also played a role in the firm's exhibit of the Photon, a prototype solar race car. This "sonnenwagen" vehicle was designed and built by a team of students from Aachen, Germany. The team—sponsored by Covestro—developed and raced high-tech vehicles to find sustainable mobility.

Covestro is a global supplier of polycarbonate resins and films, thermoplastic PU, PU materials and foams, and other specialty chemicals and materials. The firm employs almost 18,000 and posted sales of $16.2 billion in its 2021 fiscal year.