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#Textile chemistry

Covestro advocates its environmentally friendly Waterborne PU Coatings at the International Technical Textiles Symposium (ITTS)

In recent years, many downstream sports and fashion brands have set ambitious carbon-neutral targets, thereby driving the transformation of upstream processing industries. In response to this trend, Covestro, as an expert in waterborne polyurethane (PU) coatings, presented a technical topic titled “Circular Textile Coatings Solutions with INSQIN®” at the 16th International Technical Textiles Symposium 2024 on March 20th.

Covestro’s aim was to introduce the Taiwanese textile industry, which is mostly original equipment manufacturing (OEM), to the environmentally friendly coating trends pursued by international customers.

Covestro’s fossil-based waterborne coatings have become industry leaders due to their excellent coating functionality and comfort. Recently, the Covestro group published its climate neutrality targets for Scope 3 emissions[1] at the end of February this year and invited partners throughout the value chain to actively participate in the low-carbon future and achieve its comprehensive climate neutrality vision. INSQIN®, the Covestro brand introduced at the symposium, maintains consistent quality while focusing on sustainability, and includes partially bio-based, partially biodegradable, and mass-balanced waterborne PU coating solutions. To meet the needs of renowned international sports brands, Covestro has also collaborated with Taiwanese manufacturers in the development of bio-based coating formulations.

“INSQIN® is free from DMF solvents, enabling our customers to transform to environmentally friendly production,” stated Rich Guo, Technical Sales Manager, CA (Coatings & Adhesives) Sales & Market Development of Covestro Taiwan, who served as a speaker at the symposium. “In recent years, we have continuously introduced innovative solutions to enhance the sustainable components in our customers’ products, while maintaining the same excellent performance as our fossil-based materials.”

INSQIN® waterborne PU technology provides high-quality waterborne PU coating materials and crosslinkers, offering more sustainable solutions for fashion design and high performance in textile fabrics. It is applicable for various coated textile products, including PU or PVC synthetic materials, PU coatings, printing, and impregnated fabrics. The excellence of INSQIN® makes it highly regarded by leading global brands in industries such as automotive, sports and outdoor, technical textiles, furniture, and fashion.

INSQIN® delivers superb durability, elasticity and flexibility, allowing for a wider range of colors and fashion choices. It also enables a great surface feel. Additionally, as a low-VOC waterborne coating, it consumes less water and results in lower emissions in the production process.

The Impranil® CQ in the INSQIN® system contains partially bio-based PU dispersions from renewable resources. All the solutions with the “CQ” suffix contain a minimum of 25% alternative materials and offer comparable performance to their fossil-based counterparts. On the other hand, Impranil® DLN in the INSQIN® system is used in textile products such as disposable gloves and can achieve 66% biodegradation within 28 days. This is a higher level of environmental friendliness compared to many conventional natural latex or non-biodegradable chemical materials available in the market.

As the global textile industry moves towards sustainability, Covestro’s leading position in the green coatings field will help push the sustainable transformation of the entire industry chain, collectively achieving a more environmentally friendly and circular future.

© 2024 Covestro
© 2024 Covestro





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