As the inventor of polyurethane chemistry, formerly known under the brand Bayer MaterialScience, Covestro has the polymer expertise and textile industry know-how necessary to enable the company to collaborate with industry players and help them set apart from the competition by moving the needle on innovation. Covestro offers high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life.
We spoke to Mr. Nick Smith, Global Textile Head of Covestro, on the solutions offered by the company for the textile industry and its presence in the Indian market.
Excerpts from the interview:
To start with, we would like to have a brief introduction on Covestro?
We are one of the world’s largest manufacturers of polymer materials. We were previously known as Bayer MaterialScience, but since September 1, 2015, we have been operating as an independent company and under the new identity, Covestro. Our business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. Our products are found in cars, in electrical and electronic goods, in infrastructure and building, and in sports and fashion articles. Innovation and sustainability are at the very core of the company, and in fact, our corporate vision is “To Make the World a Brighter Place” as we address with our products and solutions many of the major challenges the world and society is facing.
What is Covestro’s presence in the textile industry?
The textiles industry itself is one that services other industries, and in the case of Covestro this framing of our presence is especially apt, since our textile customers make products that serve an incredibly broad range of applications. As such we are present in a large number industries that consume textiles, including automotive, electrical and electronics, infrastructure and fashion and sporting goods. These are some of the major segments for Covestro, though of course, in textiles is just a part of Covestro contribution to these industries. The importance of the textiles industry vertical is growing quickly for Covestro as the major industries that consume textiles increase their sustainability agenda.
What are the products and solutions offered by Covestro for textile manufacturing?
For the textiles industry we offer polyurethane coating materials under the brand names Impranil, Impraperm and Imprafix, which are used by companies that manufacture a broad range of coated textiles. Our products bring functionality and effect to a wide range of coated, finished or printed textile materials that are used in fashion, sports, outdoor wear, automotive, furniture and technical applications. Examples of PU fabrics are the synthetic materials used widely by the fashion industry for shoes, garments and accessories, by the sportswear industry for footwear and balls, and by the automotive industry for interior upholstery and other surfaces. Yet more examples of PU-coated fabrics are those waterproof and breathable garments favored by the outdoor industry.
Our portfolio focus is on waterborne polyurethane, also known as “PUD”, which enables production of all these kinds of coated textile material to be carried out in a sustainable manner. Thus, our products help our customers in those diverse industries reach not only product innovation but also sustainability goals.
How important is the Indian market for Covestro?
Under our former identity, we have been in India operating since 1896! And you may know that Bayer was originally established as a dyestuffs company, so our links to the textile industry, including in India, extend right back. However, considering our portfolio of today, which for textiles is focused on waterborne polyurethane coatings for coated textile materials at the more “technical” and high-performance end, the market is as at the nascent stage in India. However, as global manufacturing bases continue to expand and broaden, I would expect that the market in India will take off in a big way for our materials too.
Currently what is the level of engagement with customers in India?
We are engaged with companies in the Indian textile market, offering products in a number of areas. The fundamental value proposition of our waterborne polyurethane dispersions is a combination of technical performance (e.g., lightfastness, abrasion resistance and flex resistance even at low temperatures) and excellent softness, hand-feel or drape. On top of this, our products enable elimination of solvents from the processing, thus eliminating the need for stringent worker protection, and the generation of harmful waste that would need to be handled carefully if the environment is to be protected.
Why should textile industry customers consider solutions offered by Covestro?
I would say for certain that as the inventor of polyurethane technology itself, we have an unmatched long experience and expertise in the design and manufacture of products to meet a wide variety of different requirements of different market segments. Our production route leads to our products being able to record excellent performance, and they are also more durable once in service. Furthermore, our mature production technology means our batch-to-batch consistency is higher, meaning less hassles for our customers with regard to the need for adjusting their own formulations to account for batch to batch instability.
Secondly, we have during the years of developing waterborne PU chemistry, developed knowledge of the application of our products in combination with each other, and with other formulation parameter that allow us to offer an unparalleled technical support to our customers, to assist them with the development of their own products to meet their own customer needs.
Thirdly, we also have a deep engagement with international premium brand owners, using our waterborne PU technology umbrella brand INSQIN that is synonymous with enabling design, functionality and sustainability, owing to our high reputation for integrity.
Can you name some of the major Indian customers and projects in the textile industry?
Let me give a few examples of topics we’re currently developing with the Indian partners. We are working with companies that are into fabric printing, particularly those piece printing applications that require a high performance level, for example, those needed by international sports brands.
Another example would be in the area of outdoor fabrics that must be protective from wind and weather, and yet must remain breathable, which is vital for a comfortable wearer experience.
What is the next level of innovation and product development that you expect in the line of products and solutions you offer for the textile industry?
At Covestro we are running a broad-based program of development of bio-based polymers. In fact, we have already launched the first three products for textile coating, branded as Impranil eco. They too are waterborne and solvent-free polyurethane dispersions, but products in which we have replaced by up to 65 per cent – the fossil-based carbon with renewable carbon, from plant sources. These products permit yet a further step in the reduction of global warming potential, or CO2 footprint, and can be substituted into the existing formulations easily.
Looking into the future, how do you see Indian textile industry as a market in the future for products and solutions offered by Covestro? What will drive growth for your products in Indian market?
I am quite hopeful that India can become a significant market at the global level for sustainable textile coating materials offered by Covestro. If we can have played a part in creating and serving that market, then we will have fulfilled our vision – to make the world a brighter place to live in.