● The company’s first blending line dedicated to the production of physically recycled polycarbonate is located in Shanghai, with an annual production capacity of 25,000 tons.
● By 2026, Covestro plans to provide more than 60,000 tons of polycarbonate with recycled content to the Asia-Pacific region every year
● A wide range of high-quality recycled polycarbonate product series to support diverse application fields
● The new annual polycarbonate production capacity in the Asia-Pacific region exceeds 100,000 tons
Covestro announced that its world’s first dedicated production line for physically recycled (MCR) polycarbonate has been officially put into operation at its integrated base in Shanghai. It will produce more than 25,000 tons of high-quality polycarbonate containing physically recycled components every year. The investment project aims to meet the growing market demand for post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics, mainly covering electronic and electrical, automotive and consumer goods applications.
“The commissioning of the MCR production line marks another important step towards achieving our circular economy and climate neutrality goals in 2035.” Sucheta, Chief Commercial Officer of Covestro
Govil said, “The recycling of plastic waste is very critical to realizing this vision, and we aim to promote and lead the sustainable development process in various industries by expanding the production capacity of recycled plastics.”
Covestro plans to supply more than 60,000 tons of recycled polycarbonate annually in the Asia-Pacific region by 2026 to meet strong market demand. Recently, the company also modified an existing blending production line at its Mata Province base in Thailand to enable it to produce physically recycled polycarbonate.
Wang Li, Global President of Covestro’s Engineering Plastics Division, said: “These investments enable us to meet the market’s demand for PCR products.
The growing demand for polycarbonate further increases production capacity and efficiency. As these new or renovated production lines come into operation, we will be better able to help downstream customers create more sustainable products and accelerate the industry’s transition to a circular economy and a climate-neutral future. ”
BroadPCRProduct Portfolio
As regulations tighten, demand for recycled materials is surging around the world. For example, the European Union’s directive on end-of-life vehicles (ELV
Directive), which sets strict standards for the use of recycled plastics. In addition, demand for materials with high recycling content is also growing further in areas such as consumer electronics.
Against the backdrop of strong demand, Covestro’s recent breakthroughs in the development of PCR polycarbonates are of great significance. In the first half of this year, the company launched PCR polycarbonate with a recycled content of 90%. This product can achieve high-saturation colors and whiteness that are difficult to achieve with traditional high-content recycled plastics, and can reduce carbon emissions by 70% compared with virgin fossil-based products. The key to achieving this breakthrough lies in strictly selecting high-quality PCR raw materials and accurately optimizing the material formula during the blending production process.
Covestro is also actively developing chemical recycling processes for polycarbonate. The company has successfully developed an innovative polycarbonate chemical recycling process in the laboratory and has launched pilot trials of the technology.
Expanding polycarbonate production capacity in Asia Pacific
In addition, Covestro’s Matafu base has recently completed the debottlenecking project of multiple production lines, marking that the company’s plan to enhance polycarbonate production capacity in the Asia-Pacific region is nearing completion. The plan also includes the recent addition of new production line projects in Shanghai and Guangzhou as well as the Greater Noida base in India, adding a total of more than
Annual polycarbonate production capacity of 100,000 tons. These strategic projects aim to optimize regional production networks and reduce investment costs with the help of digital tools.
“In this way, we not only aim to meet the growing demand for polycarbonate in the Asian market, but also to provide our customers with higher quality products.” Nicolas, Head of Global Production Operations at Covestro Engineering Plastics
Dr. Stoeckel said, “Depending on market demand, these upgraded production lines can be used to produce both recycled polycarbonate and traditional virgin polycarbonate.” Therefore, these strategic projects have further enhanced Covestro’s ability to produce more high-quality The ability to recycle content polycarbonate.