Covestro has signed a cooperation agreement with Chinese bottled water and beverage company Nongfu Spring (农夫山泉) and plastics recycling company Ausell to upcycle and reuse the 19-liter polycarbonate (PC) water barrels.

Covestro has signed a cooperation agreement with Nongfu Spring and Ausell to upcycle and reuse the 19-liter PC water barrels.

Through this cooperation, the companies will further optimize the recycling efficiency of Nongfu Spring’s 19-liter polycarbonate barrels, improve the traceability and quality of recycled materials, and extend the life of barrels that are no longer in use. The signing ceremony was held recently at Nongfu Spring’s headquarters in Hangzhou, China.

(From left) Zhou Li, Secretary of the Board of Directors of Nongfu Spring, Holly Lei, President of Covestro China, and Xia Wenjun, Chairman of Ausell, at the signing ceremony.

“As the inventor of polycarbonate, Covestro has been focusing on developing a variety of recycling solutions for post-consumer polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is extremely valuable, so we are committed to working with partners in the value chain to enable upcycling of polycarbonate and thus foster a circular economy,” said Holly Lei, President of Covestro China.

According to the agreement, Nongfu Spring plans to collect and recycle 1 million 19-liter polycarbonate barrels that are no longer in use every year. These barrels are later chopped, washed and re-pelletized by plastics recycling company Ausell.

Covestro will then transform the processed plastic granules into high-performance recycled plastics for use in industries such as electronics, home appliances and automotive.

“This cooperation will allow polycarbonate barrels in the packaged drinking water industry to be recycled, revived and restructured for use in the electronics, home appliances and automotive industries so as to promote the sustainable use of polycarbonate materials,” said Zhou Li, Secretary of the Board of Directors of Nongfu Spring. 

Zhao Kai, Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Association of Circular Economy, said: “Materials recycling is an important part of the circular economy and it should not be ignored. The cooperation between Nongfu Spring, Covestro and Ausell enables high-end applications of recycled plastics, and it is a good example of the closed-loop recycling system in China.”

Covestro has signed a cooperation agreement with Chinese bottled water and beverage company Nongfu Spring (农夫山泉) and plastics recycling company Ausell to upcycle and reuse the 19-liter polycarbonate (PC) water barrels.

Covestro has signed a cooperation agreement with Nongfu Spring and Ausell to upcycle and reuse the 19-liter PC water barrels.

Through this cooperation, the companies will further optimize the recycling efficiency of Nongfu Spring’s 19-liter polycarbonate barrels, improve the traceability and quality of recycled materials, and extend the life of barrels that are no longer in use. The signing ceremony was held recently at Nongfu Spring’s headquarters in Hangzhou, China.

(From left) Zhou Li, Secretary of the Board of Directors of Nongfu Spring, Holly Lei, President of Covestro China, and Xia Wenjun, Chairman of Ausell, at the signing ceremony.

“As the inventor of polycarbonate, Covestro has been focusing on developing a variety of recycling solutions for post-consumer polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is extremely valuable, so we are committed to working with partners in the value chain to enable upcycling of polycarbonate and thus foster a circular economy,” said Holly Lei, President of Covestro China.

According to the agreement, Nongfu Spring plans to collect and recycle 1 million 19-liter polycarbonate barrels that are no longer in use every year. These barrels are later chopped, washed and re-pelletized by plastics recycling company Ausell.

Covestro will then transform the processed plastic granules into high-performance recycled plastics for use in industries such as electronics, home appliances and automotive.

“This cooperation will allow polycarbonate barrels in the packaged drinking water industry to be recycled, revived and restructured for use in the electronics, home appliances and automotive industries so as to promote the sustainable use of polycarbonate materials,” said Zhou Li, Secretary of the Board of Directors of Nongfu Spring. 

Zhao Kai, Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Association of Circular Economy, said: “Materials recycling is an important part of the circular economy and it should not be ignored. The cooperation between Nongfu Spring, Covestro and Ausell enables high-end applications of recycled plastics, and it is a good example of the closed-loop recycling system in China.”