Covestro started construction of a new plant for polyurethane elastomer systems, the latest addition to the Covestro Integrated Site Shanghai (CISS). It is part of a series of global investments in the elastomers raw materials business the company made in the past several years. The plant in Shanghai will help meet rising demand in the Asia-Pacific region for the renewable energy applications of the material. The polyurethane elastomers systems produced at the site can be used for a variety of end products, including offshore wind power, the protection of subsea cables, the manufacturing process of photovoltaic panels, and in screening medias in the mining industry. It is designed to withstand the harshest of conditions.

"We provide materials that help to facilitate a more climate-neutral and circular world. The products to be manufactured at our new plant in Shanghai are an excellent illustration of this, as they will assist our customers in meeting the increasing demand for renewable energy solutions," said Sucheta Govil, COO, Covestro. "In doing so, we are supporting the growth of an industry that is vital for preserving our climate. Furthermore, we are promoting sustainability in various industries by supplying materials containing renewable attributes."

"We want to support the growth of our customers and partake in the growth of key industries. As we expect the elastomers market to grow above China’s gross domestic product, we want to enable our customers to capture it. That is what we do with our overall investments into our elastomer business, and with this investment in our new plant in Shanghai right now," said Dr. Thomas Braig, head of elastomers.

Holly Lei, president, Covestro China, said, "Our company’s vision of becoming fully circular and our target of being operationally climate neutral by 2035 are perfectly aligned with China’s ambitions to be carbon neutral before 2060. The products we produce in CISS and this addition of polyurethane elastomers systems position us to make meaningful contributions to sustainability efforts in China and in the entire region, for example in the area of renewable energy generation."

CISS is among Covestro’s ISCC PLUS certified sites. It is capable of supplying customers with drop-in, mass-balanced materials derived from renewable attributed products, helping customers reduce their carbon footprint. To make sustainable products easier to distinguish, Covestro introduced the suffix "CQ,” (circular intelligence), and identifies products containing a minimum of 25% alternative raw materials.

To learn more, visit www.covestro.com.