Rounded way of thinking helps reduce waste, save planet
Circular economy was a regular phrase during this year’s two sessions and it is also an important concept for Covestro, world-leading maker of high-tech polymer materials.
Circular economy aims to minimize waste and make the most of resources. Markus Steilemann, CEO of the Germany-headquartered company, said: “For Covestro, sustainability is at the heart of our strategy and circular economy is an integral part to achieve a more sustainable future.”
Covestro’s integrated production site in Shanghai recycles the waste salt water generated in production by processing it to get chlorine and water. The chlorine is fed back into the production process and the water is discharged into the sea after being cleaned.
Since 2016, up to 15 percent of salt water has been reused at the site.
That is in line with the circular economy’s development in China, which began to develop in the early 1990s and has seen an increase of awareness among governments and the public.
Educational and research institutions play an important role in promoting the circular economy in China. Tongji University in Shanghai and Covestro have worked to develop sustainable material solutions in China.
In 2007, Covestro set up an endowed chair in partnership with the UN Environment-Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development. It runs sustainability-related research topics such as circular economy, urbanization and climate change.
“Under the partnership, we recently initiated a study on the global trade network of plastic waste, which remains a double challenge in terms of pollution and recycling, following China’s import ban on waste plastics in 2017,” Steilemann said.
Covestro also fulfills its commitment to circular economy by investing and innovating in recycled plastics. The company has developed more than 10 recycled content polycarbonate products, the most majority by its team in Shanghai, according to Steilemann.
It also launched a central coordinating office for circular economy in 2017 to handle the growing significance of the circular business model.
About 30 chemical giants, includ- ing Covestro, set up the Alliance to End Plastic Waste in January to reduce plastic waste’s effect on the environment, especially the ocean.
The alliance has promised to spend $1 billion developing solutions to control and reduce plastic garbage.
Plastics are far too valuable to end up dumped since they are a valuable resource, Steilemann said.
He said Covestro, with other alliance members, will also mature waste-to-value concepts for economically viable and sustainable solutions.
In the next five years, Covestro will work with partners in the plastics industry and international organizations to ensure that as little plastic waste as possible is dumped. “In addition, we will strive to promote possibilities by engaging in more educational activities,” Steilemann said.
The company also looks at alternative raw materials to make chemical production more sustainable. For example, carbon dioxide has been studied by Covestro in crossindustry consortia. The climatedamaging carbon dioxide can be turned into plastic as a valuable raw material. A white powder is the catalyst that makes the chemical reaction with carbon dioxide possible. Packed inside the powder are years of intensive research by Covestro and its partners and the courage to think beyond existing boundaries, the company’s website said.
The Leverkusen-based company already produces chemical components (polyols) with carbon dioxide for foam and binders used in mattresses and sports floors. Numerous other applications are under development.
Steilemann is attending the 2019 China Development Forum that started on Saturday and ends on Monday in Beijing.
The event is an annual international conference after the two sessions and this year its topics include proactive fiscal policies, the openness and stability of the financial industry and high-quality development of manufacturing.
Attendees will also discuss how China should strengthen communication and cooperation with other countries and together face global development challenges.
The CEO of Covestro discussed how the chemical industry can contribute to China’s sustainable future. “We believe that the chemical industry at the beginning of many industrial value chains is an enabler for sustainability in China,” he said.
He thinks the plastics industry should be a driving force for circular economy, look beyond the current take-make-waste industrial model to achieve sustainability and commit to pollution control and clean energy use.
Covestro operates around 30 production sites in Europe, Asia and North America. They range from smaller facilities, designed for regional purposes, to worldscale production plants that ensure efficient and reliable supplies to customers with a global presence.
In recent years, the company has strengthened its foothold in China. Since 2001, Covestro has invested more than 3 billion euros ($3.41 billion) to build up its integrated site in Shanghai, which has become the company’s largest production site worldwide, covering all major products that Covestro offers.