Inspired by the corporate vision “To Make The World A Brighter Place,” Covestro is committed to helping the textile industry create waterborne, polyurethane-coated textiles that serve the decorative and functional needs of diverse industries while embracing sustainable production.

Polyurethane coatings play a key role in bringing a broad range of functionalities and an almost endless range of effects, finishes and color to textile materials. This enables their use in diverse applications from athletic shoes to automotive upholstery to protective gloves.

Covestro continues to develop new products that push the boundaries of what can be achieved with waterborne polyurethane technology for textile coating under its product brands Impranil®, Imprafix®, Impraperm® and its product and service brand INSQIN®, which launched in 2014. INSQIN helps the fashion and sportswear industry on its path towards sustainability.

One example of expanding the application envelope of waterborne polyurethane is Imprafix 2794, a crosslinker that activates at very low temperatures enabling its use even on temperature-sensitive substrates like polyamide-based knitwear.

Covestro is also presenting Impranil® eco, a series of bio-based polyurethane dispersions (PUD) that contain up to 65 percent of renewable carbon. The product enables users to reduce their carbon footprint, while matching the high performance levels of the conventional PUD with minimal reformulation.

Application technology innovation is just as important as product innovation, and Covestro is continually developing coating processes that enable waterborne polyurethane to be deployed in an ever-expanding range of material types, including dipped microfiber non-wovens that combine the highest performance with the softest hand. Covestro, with its dedicated team of textiles experts working in world-class R&D facilities, thrives on collaborating in such arrangements.

“We believe that the solutions to product innovation and sustainability challenges are best developed in close collaboration. We hope that our exhibit at Techtextil serves as proof of our excellence in product and application technology,” said Nick Smith, global head of textile coatings, Covestro. “Our textile coating efforts revolve around our ultimate goal of Inventing Future Materials For You.”
Covestro welcomes visitors to come and share their dreams at booth #2123 during Techtextil North America, May 3-5 in Atlanta.