05
December
2022
|
10:02
Europe/Amsterdam

Innovation venture of Covestro awarded:

Niaga® wins Circular Economy Prize

Summary
  • European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) names solution from Niaga® award winner of the Circular Economy Prize. 
  • The prize in the Digital Products Passports (DPP) category underlines the importance of transparency and traceability for a cicular economy.
  • Niaga® Digital Product Passport recognized as a key enabler for circularity

Niaga®, an innovation venture of Covestro, is the winner of the 2022 European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Community Circular Economy Prize in the Digital Products Passports (DPP) category. The EIT Circular Economy Community awards relevant start-ups and SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) with significant new solutions accelerating the circular economy.

The DPP of the venture is a universal and interoperable platform that provides ingredient transparency about a product for all stakeholders across industries and across Europe. It provides factual, objective, measurable information on product ingredients, components, provenance, and attributes like CO2 footprint, recycled content and recyclability.

Sascha Bloemhoff, Marketing Director at Niaga® and responsible for the DPP: “Most systems today are linear, tracing only high-level data. Such systems lack crucial pieces of ingredient information needed to close the loop. Detailed ingredient knowledge is a must, if we want to avoid downcycling of valuable materials during recycling, whatever the product or industry: electronics, clothing or the building sector.”

Martin Snijder, Circular Economy Orchestrator at EIT Climate-KIC: “The DPP radiates circularity in every aspect, as do Niaga®’s core activities. The DPP is under development and managed by an experienced and convincing team. The jury hopes the minimum transparency level of the Niaga® DPP will become the standard in Europe.” 

Winning the prestigious prize is the recognition of the Niaga® DPP as a key enabler for circularity and underlines the importance of material stewardship, transparency and traceability in achieving a truly circular economy. Lynette Chung, Chief Sustainability Officer at Covestro: “In order to achieve a fully circular economy, we need to connect stakeholders and transport knowledge along the value chain, and support consumer trust and demand for more sustainable product offerings. It’s why we’re particularly proud of our innovation venture’s DPP being recognized as a key enabler for a no-waste, circular economy. The DPP provides essential infrastructure for a sustainable future and is a viable solution that also protects users’ IP sensitive information.”

Sascha Bloemhoff adds: “It is our mission to design out waste. Our key learning in our journey has been that to make return, and with it, reuse, repair, refurbishment, and recycling possible we need the full disclosure of a product’s ingredient, material, and component information. Moving from theory to practice, pointed us in the direction of our universal and interoperable product passport. Because our DPP revolves around ingredient transparency – not just traceability – it’s a solution that helps to put valuable materials centre stage. Because in a true circular economy what is a polyester sweater today, could become a car seat tomorrow and a mattress in the future.”

About Niaga®: 
We are on a mission to design out waste completely. We are passionate about transitioning to a circular economy, bringing reuse, repair, refurbishment and recyclability, from theory to practice. In our view, a product is only fully circular if it contains clean and infinite materials, reversible connections, and if it is returned for material reuse. That’s why return is key.

Together with our partners we (re)design with the end in mind. We design to use again. The scannable Niaga® tag enables users to see what a product is made of and how to return it after each use-cycle. Behind the tag there is a brand neutral DPP. This helps all parties in the value chain to keep valuable materials in the loop for future generations. Niaga® is part of Covestro.

Contact
Sascha Bloemhoff, Marketing Director Niaga®
sascha.bloemhoff@covestro.com
Tel. +31 6 200 150 64

Boilerplate

About Covestro:

Covestro is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality polymer materials and their components. With its innovative products, processes and methods, the company helps enhance sustainability and the quality of life in many areas. Covestro supplies customers around the world in key industries such as mobility, building and living, as well as the electrical and electronics sector. In addition, polymers from Covestro are also used in sectors such as sports and leisure, cosmetics and health, as well as in the chemical industry itself.

The company is committed to becoming fully circular and is striving to become climate neutral by 2035 (scope 1 and 2). Covestro generated sales of EUR 15.9 billion in fiscal 2021. At the end of 2021, the company had 50 production sites worldwide and employed approximately 17,900 people (calculated as full-time equivalents).

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.