Materials manufacturer Covestro and WNC, a leading network communications solutions provider based in Taiwan, have announced a strategic partnership at CES 2025, the world’s premier technology event, to accelerate the communications industry’s transition to a circular, low-carbon future. Covestro will support WNC in developing advanced communications products, such as radio frequency antennas, using high-performance, low-carbon polycarbonate materials.
“Material innovation is essential to advancing sustainability and helping our customers achieve their climate goals faster,” said Lily Wang, Head of Engineering Plastics at Covestro. “Through this partnership, we aim to inspire the value chain and drive circular, sustainable solutions for the evolving communications industry, preparing for future technologies.”
“We are committed to advancing technologies in the fields of enterprise networking, Wi-Fi devices, automotive connectivity, and smart home solutions. We focus not only on product innovation and exceptional quality but also on integrating circular development into our value chain,” said Petter Chen, AVP of Mechanical and Industrial Design Division at WNC. “This partnership offers an alternative approach to creating sustainable, high-performance products that meet today’s needs while contributing to a more circular future.”
Covestro already supports the communications industry with innovative materials solutions, such as Thermal Conductive (TC) polycarbonates, a superior alternative to traditional metal components. TC grade polycarbonates enable innovative heat management solutions for 5G and other advanced telecom applications, supporting radical design changes and functional integration in telecom hardware.
Central to the new partnership is Covestro’s circular portfolio of polycarbonates, which can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of end products. For example, the company now offers UL-certified polycarbonates with 90 percent mechanically recycled content from post-consumer waste, delivering high performance comparable to virgin materials. This solution boasts a carbon footprint 70 percent lower than that of comparable fossil-based virgin plastics.
Additionally, Covestro has introduced the RE series, a range of polycarbonates with a renewable attributed share derived from bio-waste and bio-residues. This drop-in solution provides high performance properties identical to fossil-based materials, meeting the critical demands of high-requirement use cases, including optical and harsh outdoor applications.
About WNC:
Wistron NeWeb Corporation (WNC) is a leading network communications solutions provider headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, with annual revenue of US$3.6 billion. WNC has an R&D base in Taiwan, manufacturing facilities, and sales offices in Taiwan, Vietnam, Mainland China, the U.S., U.K., Germany, Japan and Mexico, and a workforce of over 12,000 employees worldwide. WNC provides whole-range communications solutions covering 5G edge infrastructure, Wi-Fi 6/7, satellite broadband, automotive infotainment, automotive telematics, ADAS and high speed switches, SD-WAN solutions and 5G open RAN devices. Leveraging its expertise in antenna/RF design and system integration, WNC is a key supplier to networking brands, tier-1 telecom operators, automakers, and automotive electronics companies. For more information, please visit their website.
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 committed to becoming fully circular. 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 14.4 billion in fiscal 2023. At the end of 2023, the company had 48 production sites worldwide and employed approximately 17,500 people (calculated as full-time equivalents).
Find more information at the Covestro Homepage.