Covestro leads the way with advanced composite technology for reducing carbon footprint

Covestro has released its new thermoplastic composite technology, which has been proven to be a sustainable way of producing thinner, lighter and stronger components for electronic products.

A recent Life Cycle Assessment has found a laptop cover made of Maezio continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites from Covestro can significantly reduce the carbon footprint by more than 70 per cent compared to one made from conventional aluminium-magnesium alloy.

The LCA study, conducted in line with ISO 24040/14044 standards and reviewed by an independent panel of LCA experts, compared a comprehensive range of parameters to assess the environmental performance of a laptop cover made from the two materials which are typically used from premium laptops.

In all impact categories and scenarios, the composite laptop cover shows better environmental performance that the aluminium-magnesium alloy cover from the extraction of raw materials until the end of life.

Dr Frank Buckel, responsible for sustainability at the Polycarbonates segment at Covestro, said: “Thermoplastic composites are ideally suited for producing thinner, lighter and more robust parts from IT devices that meet the needs of tomorrow.”

“The fact that Maezio thermoplastics are not only mechanically competitive but also environmentally advantageous will provide the electronics industry and many other industries with a powerful solution for reducing carbon footprint and reaching their sustainability targets.”