Covestro post-consumer recycled (PCR) polycarbonate and TPU materials

       Covestro is working with Fairphone, a Dutch company committed to building an environmentally friendly smartphone market, to provide more circular material solutions for its smartphones. The Fairphone 4 parts made of Covestro post-consumer recycled (PCR) polycarbonate materials include the back cover, middle frame and wireless charger.

       With a PCR content of 30%-50%, the Makrolon® polycarbonate product line has physical properties similar to virgin materials, including good impact resistance, balanced flow, high hardness and flame retardancy, which can ensure a long device life cycle while reducing carbon emissions by 30% compared to virgin materials.

       Covestro has also developed a new range of recycled and partially recycled materials under the Desmopan® TPU brand, which has been used in the Fairphone 4 case and has been certified to the RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) international standard for traceability of the supply chain for recycled raw materials. This includes Desmopan® 3095AU RC100, which was further developed after evaluating various sources of industrial recycled plastics and selecting the most suitable raw materials. The 100% recycled material shows the typical advantages of TPU in terms of chemical resistance and abrasion resistance, while having a lower melting point and better flowability than virgin materials, making it easier to process. These properties have been proven in the previous application of the Fairphone 3 case, and now the material solution has been further applied to the Fairphone 4 case, which is available in three colors: gray, green and pink.

       Fairphone devices are known for their modular design, which allows for better repairability. This design requires materials with high mechanical strength to allow for repeated disassembly and repair. Glass fiber-reinforced grades from Covestro’s portfolio of Makrolon® post-consumer recycled materials offer increased stiffness and impact resistance, providing an ideal solution for the Fairphone 4’s stress-bearing midframe and fitting in with Fairphone’s modular design approach. By using polycarbonate in the housing and TPU plastic in the case, Covestro has also achieved the use of a single material for each component, which will facilitate end-of-life recycling of the smartphone.

       “With our post-consumer recycled material solutions, we are helping Fairphone achieve its sustainability goals. With our high-strength mechanical material solutions, we can help Fairphone’s products be modular and repairable,” said Nan Hu, Vice President of Global Electrical and Electronics Industrial Market at Covestro Engineering Plastics. “Collaborative projects like these are also consistent with our vision of a fully circular economy.”

       Wen Huang, Vice President of Product Operations at Fairphone, said: “Building a fairer and more sustainable future is our shared mission, and Fairphone is pleased to be working with Covestro to collaborate on our Fairphone 4. We believe that Covestro can help us move towards a circular economy and create a more sustainable world. This is just the first step, and we will continue to support Covestro in developing more sustainable materials. ”