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NOT CURRENT YEAR
Covestro
Grade summary
Covestro produces 18 SIN List substances (including one persistent chemical), six of which are officially recognised as chemicals of high concern by the EU. It should be noted that data is not available for half of Covestro’s production, which takes place outside the EU and US. The company has a method in place to screen and assess the sustainability of its products and includes intrinsic hazards of ingredients in the screening process. It does not, however, have a phase-out strategy for hazardous substances. There is no information regarding environmental violations connected to the company, but since Covestro has only been around for five years, that is to be expected.
Opportunities for improvement
- Covestro claims that “sustainability is more than reducing emissions and strictly adhering to statutory requirements”, and is currently completing a hazard assessment of all its substances. The next step for Covestro should be to reduce both the volume and the number of hazardous chemicals that the company produces in order to lower the environmental impact.
- Develop and market more safer alternatives. Covestro aims to offer innovative materials produced in an eco-friendly manner, but we only managed to identify one such product during our research. More are needed.
- Covestro should set clear phase-out deadlines for some of the hazardous substances that the company produces and be determined to meet those deadlines.
Category breakdown
Covestro produces 18 SIN List substances, six of which are included on the REACH Candidate List and one of which is also found on the REACH Authorisation List. The German company produces one persistent chemical. Persistent chemicals are particularly problematic since they do not break down, instead they accumulate in humans and/or the environment. Because of this, persistent chemicals should be of extra concern for investors. Substances which are not considered a problem today could become huge liabilities in the future.
Covestro has a method in place to screen and assess the sustainability of its products and includes intrinsic hazards of ingredients in the screening process. The company does not follow the principles of green chemistry or use the GreenScreen assessment tool, nor does it exclude substances with toxic properties from new products. It does, however, actively market safer alternatives on its website.
The German company shares chemical safety information on its website but does not have a phase-out strategy for hazardous substances. Covestro is a member of Responsible Care and follows voluntary standards such as a Code of Conduct and a Supplier Code of Conduct.
There is no information regarding environmental violations, or workplace safety or health violations connected to Covestro.
