In recent years, the national safety and environmental protection policies have become increasingly strict, and the chemical raw material market has fluctuated significantly. Under the new policy, new economy, and new business format, Covesi has created practical examples for leading enterprises in the industry to help the sustainable development of the industry with practical actions, and has set a good example for the recyclable development of the chemical industry.
With the continuous development of fields such as electric vehicles and car sharing, and the increasingly stringent regulations on emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the role and performance of automotive interiors are being redefined, and the downstream automotive industry of the polyurethane industry is also facing new A round of challenges and opportunities. Drivers are increasingly looking for a comfortable, smart, pleasant and healthy in-car experience, and the call for interior design is getting higher and higher.
To cope with this trend and lead the industry to achieve breakthrough changes, Covestro launched INSQIN® waterborne polyurethane technology, making full use of material innovation to meet the changing and developing needs. It is reported that INSQIN® waterborne polyurethane technology can produce various styles of automotive interior materials with excellent performance, diversified light colors and light transmission effects, and can also be combined with various functions, allowing it to be used in seats, door panels and roofs. The lining realizes the intelligent interior function, and at the same time, INSQIN® water-based polyurethane synthetic leather is superior to natural leather in terms of durability and comfort. More importantly, compared with traditional solvent-based polyurethane production, there is no need to use solvents in the production process, reducing solvent replacement and recycling processes, thereby reducing hidden health and safety risks, reducing pollution and hazardous waste, and saving up to 95% Water and 50% energy, and INSQIN® almost reaches zero emissions.
"Automakers are not only pursuing performance, but also looking for sustainable solutions." Torsten Pohl, Cospron's head of global textile coatings, said, "We are proud to create all kinds of innovative materials and pioneering applications, and services are increasingly Multi-industry areas. We provide rich products and solutions to help manufacturers achieve different effects and appearances, and provide more choices for future automotive interiors. Through INSQIN®, we can help auto manufacturers in a highly competitive market Take the lead. "
Coves created one of the world's largest polymer producers and occupies a very important position in the Chinese market. As Dr. Torsten Pohl said: "We attach great importance to the Chinese market, so we established our own R & D plant in Shanghai, According to the needs of the Chinese market to develop products, China has very high requirements for innovation, environmental protection, and health, so the best materials and renewable materials have always been one of our production benchmarks. And we are also working with OEM, downstream Suppliers and other industry chain related companies cooperate actively to communicate with people in the industry. "
The automotive industry's demands for high performance and environmental protection INSQIN® can be well satisfied. What if we further propose recycling and reuse of materials after the end of their service life? In this regard, Dr. Torsten Pohl said that the service life of INSQIN® can be as long as a car, so compared with many other plastic products, its own use time will often be much longer, but its recycling is still a challenge. The main reason is that the production of synthetic leather in the later stage is not a single material, but is composed of multiple chemical material formulations. Such a mixture will cause great difficulties in decomposition and recovery. But Covestro is actively doing research and efforts on material recycling with partners in the supply chain, hoping to have further cooperation with the supply chain in the future, and hopes to take a step forward in this regard.
Dr. Torsten Pohl added: "Covestro has invested a lot of energy in the recycling of materials. In our new product Cardyon polyurethane series, 20% of the raw material is carbon dioxide. This polyurethane can be used for foaming materials and coatings. Etc. At the same time, Covestro has a goal that from now to 2025, 80% of our projects will be guided by the UN SDG sustainable environmental protection goals. "
As we all know, more than 95% of the synthetic leather on the market is produced using solvent-based technology. When talking about how to develop the market for water-based PU, Dr. Torsten Pohl believes that since solvent-based PU synthetic leather has a history of more than 30 years, a fixed Industrial chain, so it is still the dominant market. But in recent years, I have found that the growth trend of water-based PU is more than solvent-based PU, and as global restrictions on VOC emissions become increasingly strict, I believe it is only a matter of time before water-based PU becomes the market leader.
It is understood that at this 2019 China International Coatings Exhibition Covestro brought various exhibits developed with INSQIN® waterborne polyurethane technology, which attracted the attention of many merchants and partners.