Globalpu News:

● Partially recycled thermoplastic polyurethane and polycarbonate

● Material solutions reduce greenhouse gas emissions

● In line with Fairphone's modular design concept

Covestro is partnering with Fairphone, a Dutch company that aims to build an environmentally friendly smartphone market, to provide more recycled material solutions for its smartphones. Except for Fairphone 3 and the new generation Fairphone 4 are available in fully and partially recycled thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material, and Covestro's partially recycled polycarbonate material solution has also been used in Fairphone 4.

The Fairphone 4 parts, made from Covestro post-consumer recycled (PCR) polycarbonate material, include the back cover, middle frame and wireless charger. The Makrolon® The PCR content of the polycarbonate product series is 30%-50%, and the physical properties are similar to those of the original material. It has good impact resistance, balanced fluidity, high hardness and flame retardancy, which can ensure a long life cycle of the equipment, and at the same time Virgin materials reduce carbon emissions by 30%.

Covestro has also developed a new series of recycled and partially recycled materials under Desmopan® TPU, which have been applied to Fairphone 4 protective shell, and has passed the RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) international standard certification focusing on the traceability of the supply chain of recyclable raw materials.

This includes Desmopan® 3095AU RC100, this material is further developed after evaluating various industrial recycled plastic sources and selecting the most suitable raw materials. The 100% recycled material exhibits the typical advantages of TPU in terms of chemical and abrasion resistance, while being easier to process due to its lower melting point and better flow than virgin material. These features were previously in Fairphone It has been proven in the application of the 3 protective case, and now this material solution has been further applied to the Fairphone 4 protective case, which is available in gray, green and pink.

Modular design for easier maintenance

Fairphone devices are known for their modular design, making them more serviceable. This design requires materials with high mechanical strength to allow repeated disassembly and repair. Glass fiber-reinforced grades in Covestro's Makrolon® post-consumer recycled materials portfolio offer increased stiffness and impact resistance for Fairphone 4 The midframe that needs to be under pressure provides an ideal solution and fits in with the Fairphone's modular design approach. By using polycarbonate in the casing and TPU plastic in the protective case, Covestro has also achieved the use of a single material for each component, which will facilitate the end-of-life recycling of smartphones.

“We are helping Fairphone achieve its sustainability goals with a post-consumer recycled material solution. Through a material solution with high mechanical strength, we can help with the modular design of Fairphone’s products and improve serviceability.” "Cooperation projects like this are also in line with our vision to fully realize a circular economy," said Hu Nan, vice president of the global electrical and electronic industry market of the Xtron Engineering Plastics Division.

"Building a fairer and more sustainable future is our shared mission, and Fairphone is delighted to partner with Covestro on our Fairphone 4 applied its recycling renewable material solutions. We believe that Covestro can help us move towards a circular economy and thus create a more sustainable world. This is just the first step, and we will continue to support Covestro in developing more sustainable materials. ”