Tonney develops more sustainable hairdryers with low-carbon materials from Covestro
Circular design for appliances
- First commercial application of Covestro’s bio-based waterborne crosslinker in electronics and appliances
- Recycled polycarbonate and CMF aesthetic design further contribute to sustainability
- New hairdryers unveiled at Design Shanghai
Covestro has partnered with Shanghai Tonney Industrial Co., Ltd., a major Chinese supplier to the hospitality industry, to develop two new models of hairdryers using more sustainable materials, including a partially bio-based waterborne coatings raw material and post-consumer recycled (PCR) polycarbonate from Covestro. This collaboration reflects both companies’ commitment to achieving full circularity and supports the downstream industry in reducing carbon footprint while meeting the increasing consumer demand for sustainable products. The new Tonney hairdryer models, T50-GY and T50-B, are being unveiled at Covestro’s booth at Design Shanghai, a prominent international design event.
Bayhydur® CQ ultra 701-90 is a partially bio-based waterborne crosslinker used in the new hairdryers. It contains approximately 61 percent bio-based content and achieves a 35 percent reduction in carbon footprint compared to traditional fossil-based counterpart. Additionally, it offers better chemical resistance, improved resin compatibility for easy integration with various resins, and clearer film transparency, which enhances the presentation of customized colors in coatings.
“This collaboration not only showcases Covestro’s strong R&D capabilities but also reflects the proactive efforts of various players in the industrial chain towards commercializing bio-based coatings raw materials,” said Anand Khot, Head of Coatings and Adhesives in the Asia-Pacific region at Covestro. “The Tonney hairdryers mark the first commercial application of Covestro’s bio-based waterborne crosslinker in the electronics and appliances sector, providing a strong impetus for Covestro to expand the reach of bio-based coatings in broader markets.”
Both models also use Makrolon® 205 R50 for their housings. This polycarbonate resin incorporates 50 percent post-consumer recycled content, contributing to landfill waste reduction. Its carbon footprint is 36 percent lower than that of a comparable fossil-based virgin plastic. Makrolon® 205 R50 holds the Environmental Claim Validation (ECV) certificate from Underwriters Laboratories. Additionally, this polycarbonate grade offers flexibility in wall thickness design, ensuring product safety and design diversity.
“At Tonney, we are exploring ways to leverage material technology to reduce the carbon footprint of our products, while maintaining product stability and appearance to enhance the consumer experience,” said Zhang Hongbin, Chairman of Shanghai Tonney. “The integrated sustainable material solutions from Covestro are helping us drive Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) development in the hospitality industry and promote a low-carbon travel lifestyle for consumers.”
In addition to incorporating low-carbon materials, Covestro provided the new hairdryers with customized CMF (Color, Material, Finish) solutions to enhance their coatings effects with sustainable concepts. Both companies plan to collaborate on applying polycarbonate aesthetic solutions to Tonney’s future products. Leveraging its CMF expertise, Covestro integrates aesthetic design into the development of sustainable materials, ensuring a balance between aesthetics and circularity considerations, and enabling designers to explore greater possibilities in product design.
To learn more about Covestro’s CMF and Circular Design solutions at Design Shanghai, visit booth 4C33 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center from June 19-22, 2024.
About Covestro:
Covestro is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality polymer materials and their components. With its innovative products, processes and methods, the company helps enhance sustainability and the quality of life in many areas. Covestro supplies customers around the world in key industries such as mobility, building and living, as well as the electrical and electronics sector. In addition, polymers from Covestro are also used in sectors such as sports and leisure, telecommunications and health, as well as in the chemical industry itself.
The company is geared completely to the circular economy. In addition, Covestro aims to achieve climate neutrality for its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2035, and the Group’s Scope 3 emissions are also set to be climate neutral by 2050. Covestro generated sales of EUR 14.2 billion in fiscal year 2024. At the end of 2024, the company had 46 production sites worldwide and employed approximately 17,500 people (calculated as full-time equivalents).
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro’s public reports which are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.