Fit for the Circular Economy from the Start

Plastics still often end up as waste. This can be changed if they – and the products made with them – are designed from the outset to be optimally recyclable. An approach that Covestro is driving forward.

Further Information

  • Alternative Raw Materials

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

  • End-of-Life Solutions

    Plastic is too valuable to end up as waste. Covestro promotes innovative technologies for recycling.

  • Joint Solutions

    The circular economy can only advance through collaboration. Covestro cooperates with numerous partners to achieve this.

  • Circular Economy

    Covestro aims to make the life cycle of plastics more sustainable – with alternative raw materials, innovative recycling, circular design and intensive cooperation.

Function, price, appearance – until now, such aspects have usually been the focus when designing. In the future, the emphasis must increasingly be on making products fit for the circular economy from the very beginning.

"Design for Circularity" means considering the entire life cycle: developing plastics and products in such a way that they can be easily repaired, reused, and recycled at the end of their useful life.

To design products optimally in line with the circular economy, numerous criteria must be considered from the outset.

  • Durable: Design products to be robust, long-lasting, and suitable for many usage cycles.
  • Reusable: Design materials or components so they can be used multiple times or repurposed in new products.
  • Disassemblable and repairable: Build products so they can be easily disassembled and individual components can be simply replaced or repaired.
  • Single-material: Use as few and clearly separable material types as possible to facilitate subsequent recycling.
  • Recycling-friendly: Select materials, colors, additives, or coatings in such a way that they do not impair the recycling process and enable high-quality recyclates.

The overarching goal of circular design is to extend the lifespan of materials, reduce waste, and keep resources in a closed loop as much as possible. This can significantly reduce both environmental impact and the need for primary raw materials.

With the right design, laptops can be better recycled at end of life.

Covestro wants to help establish this approach in the plastics industry. For example, together with the consulting firm Renato, we have developed a guide (opens in a new tab) for circular design. It is intended to help manufacturers design plastic-based electrical and electronic articles as well as household appliances in a more circular way.

To achieve full circularity, aesthetics must not be overlooked. This is why Covestro has developed an additional guide addressing the complexity of CMF design in recycled and recyclable plastics.

Furthermore, together with Dell Technologies, we have prepared a study on the recycling of laptops. If the plastics for device components are optimally designed from the outset, they can be disassembled, sorted and recycled to a high quality much more easily later on.

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