Covestro Partners with China’s Nongfu Spring and Ausell to Advance Mechanical Recycling of Polycarbonate Water Bottles, Expanding Recycled Content Use

August 30, 2026

Covestro Germany

Overview

As part of its circular economy commitment, Covestro is collaborating with Chinese beverage producer Nongfu Spring and recycler Ausell to promote the mechanical recycling of used polycarbonate water bottles. This partnership facilitates the re-use of recycled polycarbonate materials into new industrial products, significantly reducing reliance on virgin fossil-based raw materials in plastic production. Additionally, Covestro is working with automotive value chain partners to advance ‘car-to-car’ plastic recycling, actively expanding the application of recycled content.

In Depth

Key Findings

Covestro, in an effort to accelerate its transition to a sustainable circular economy, has successfully partnered with Nongfu Spring, a leading Chinese beverage manufacturer, and Ausell, a recycler, to promote the mechanical recycling of used polycarbonate water bottles. This initiative enables the reuse of high-quality recycled polycarbonate in new products across various industries, significantly reducing dependence on primary fossil-based raw materials in plastic production. Furthermore, Covestro is collaborating with value chain partners in the automotive industry to advance ‘car-to-car’ plastic recycling, proactively expanding the scope of recycled content utilization.

Technical / Clinical Details

Polycarbonate is widely used in durable consumer goods and packaging due to its excellent transparency, impact resistance, and heat resistance. Nongfu Spring’s large water bottles, made from robust polycarbonate, represent a stable source of uniform quality material ideal for mechanical recycling. In this recycling process, used water bottles are collected, sorted, crushed, washed, melted, and pelletized to produce new, high-quality recycled polycarbonate pellets. These recycled materials can then be utilized in a wide range of applications, including durable consumer goods, automotive parts, and construction materials, maintaining performance comparable to virgin materials. This approach allows for long-term retention of resource value and minimizes waste.

Background & Context

Globally, the issue of plastic waste is becoming increasingly severe, and particularly in Asia, with rising plastic consumption, the development and efficiency of recycling infrastructure are urgent challenges. The Chinese government has also positioned environmental protection and the transition to a circular economy as national strategies, demanding sustainable supply chain construction from businesses. The partnership between Covestro, Nongfu Spring, and Ausell is a notable success story that responds to these needs in the Chinese market while implementing concrete circular solutions through inter-company cooperation. ‘Car-to-car’ recycling in the automotive industry is also a critical endeavor to promote recycled content use in sectors with strict quality standards.

Strategic Significance & Outlook

Covestro’s expanded use of recycled materials represents a significant milestone towards achieving its circular economy goals. The polycarbonate water bottle recycling model in China also holds potential for application in other regions and for other types of plastic products. This initiative not only contributes to the global objectives of reducing reliance on fossil resources and cutting CO2 emissions but also offers ‘Circular Intelligence (CQ)’ solutions to help customer companies meet their own sustainability targets. As the recycled materials market grows, Covestro is expected to drive the overall sustainability improvement of the plastics industry and create new business value.

Source: https://www.covestro.com/en/sustainability/our-focus-topics/circular-economy/alternative-raw-materials/recycled-materials

Get our weekly technology intelligence — free

Receive an infographic that lets you judge at a glance whether each field’s analysis report is worth reading.

Subscribe Free — Weekly Tech Intelligence

By subscribing, you’ll receive Troy-Technical’s weekly technology intelligence newsletter.