Plastics from Waste

Viewing waste as a valuable resource can help reduce dependence on primary fossil raw materials in plastics production. Covestro is advancing the use of recyclates as part of its circular economy efforts.

End-of-life materials deserve multiple lives: Instead of ending up in the trash and being burned or landfilled, they should be recycled whenever possible at the end of their use. Recyclates enable fossil raw materials such as crude oil to be replaced in line with the circular economy.

However, globally only nine percent (opens in a new tab) of the plastics produced annually are recycled. Covestro wants to change this and is working intensively in international projects to provide the market with more products based on recycled materials.

Further Information

  • Bio-based Raw Materials

    Plastics can be produced using plants from sustainable cultivation as a substitute for crude oil. Covestro offers numerous corresponding products.

  • CO₂-based Raw Materials

    Carbon dioxide is harmful to the climate, but useful as a raw material. Covestro uses the gas in plastics production.

  • Mass Balance Approach

    Fossil and alternative raw materials can be processed together – and clearly allocated in the plastic product. A method that Covestro uses.

  • Alternative Raw Materials

    Plastics are still predominantly based on fossil raw materials. Covestro is increasingly using alternative sources: biomass, recyclates, and CO₂.

Covestro is cooperating with beverage manufacturer Nongfu Spring and recycler Ausell in China to recycle one million water barrels made of polycarbonate plastic annually. Through mechanical recycling, we recover high-quality polycarbonates from these barrels, which are then used to manufacture new products for various industries such as electronics, household appliances, and automotive.

As an example we are giving used water barrels a second life by producing partially mechanically recycled polycarbonate used in luggage (opens in a new tab) by Chinese travel goods provider Ninetygo.

Covestro is driving forward the concept of car-to-car recycling (opens in a new tab) of plastics together with partners from the automotive value chain. The goal is to establish an efficient and sustainable ecosystem for the recycling of materials in the automotive industry.

Together with the Chinese recycler Ausell, we are also paving the way for the recycling of plastics in the automotive sector. A joint initiative aims to recycle plastics from old headlights (opens in a new tab) and use them in other vehicle areas.

Recycled plastics and many other sustainable materials can be found in pioneering solar racing cars that students at two universities in Aachen are constructing under the name Sonnenwagen. Covestro is the main sponsor of the initiative.

For the latest model called Æthon, we have contributed a chemically recycled foam for the car seat as well as an elastomer produced with mass-balanced raw materials that dampens impacts between the battery and body, thus protecting the structure.

Covestro also researches and develops innovative recycling processes. The focus is on chemical recycling, which is the only possible method of recycling for certain plastics.

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