"The industry must not only consider the technical and environmental performance of recycled materials, but also make sure they evoke an emotional response from consumers when it comes to sustainability," says Roy Cheung, Head of Sustainability Solutions in Covestro's Polycarbonates segment. "At Covestro, we take a holistic approach to our sustainability offerings by finding the right balance between aesthetics, functionalities and environmental footprint of sustainable material solutions."

Asian approach with potential for other regions

Under the multi-phase project, Tsinghua's Colour & Imaging Institute of the Art & Science Research Center will use consumer surveys, expert interviews, Big Data mining and design industry research to explore design paths and inspirations for the CMF design of Covestro's recycled polycarbonate plastics.

"It is a stringent, science-based and consumer-centric design process that aims to provide visual and tactile impressions to consumers and tell stories about sustainability with aesthetic design," says Song Wenwen, Deputy Director and Executive Director of the Colour & Imaging Institute at the Art & Science Research Center. "In China, we want to achieve results that meet the need of consumers around the world for more sustainable materials." The goal of the collaboration, she said, is to promote an Asia-Pacific-based approach that combines circular and aesthetic design and can be applied in other regions.

Covestro is a pioneer in meeting environmental and sustainability goals, not only for itself but also for the value chain. The company recently teamed up with consultancy REnato lab to publish the "Circular Design Guidebook", a guide to help designers and developers in the electrical, electronics and appliance industries make their next-generation products more circular.