K 2025: Bio-based alternatives for the materials industry of the future

With the market launch of bioPTMEG, CovationBio aims to mark nothing less than a turning point in the materials industry. In an interview, Dr Mosha Zhao, Global Marketing Director, explains how the company is focusing on bio-based intermediates to replace fossil raw materials without compromising on performance and availability. The sustainable PTMEG will be presented for the first time at K 2025.

What does your company stand for - and what particularly characterizes your product or service portfolio?

Dr Mosha Zhao: Covation Biomaterials (“CovationBio^®”) is a biomaterials company advancing technology in the bio-based materials industry. We harness nature’s renewable carbon to transform plants into essential materials for everyday life. Building on DuPont ‘s legacy of groundbreaking scientific innovation, we deliver novel solutions at scale across multiple industries, including apparel, carpeting, cosmetics, food, and packaging. Since 2006, we have commercialized products like Susterra^® / Zemea^® propanediol and Sorona^® polymer. At K 2025, we will introduce our new bioPTMEG product derived from non-food feedstocks. With our innovative product portfolio, CovationBio^® provides the building blocks to start to defossilize the material industry and enable customers to provide high performing, bio-based products to everyone.

What topic or innovation are you bringing to K 2025 - and why is it relevant for the industry?

Zhao: At K 2025, we will introduce our newest innovation, an advanced, sustainable polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMEG), CovationBio^® bioPTMEG, with expected high performance and a significantly lower environmental impact. BioPTMEG, a bio-based alternative to traditional petroleum-based PTMEG, is a necessary innovation for the industry to address the pressing need for sustainable materials. By utilizing second generation biomass, such as corn cobs, we help customers to reduce their reliance on fossil-based or food-based feedstocks while maintaining the durability and resilience required for high performance applications such as spandex, polyurethanes, and thermoplastic elastomers.

The launch of CovationBio^® bioPTMEG is yet another step that advances our customers’ desire for a defossilized materials industry.

What would you like to talk to visitors about at K 2025 - what is particularly important to you?

Zhao: We invite conversations about our bioPTMEG product and its environmental benefits. We want to highlight that our technology reduces our customers ‘carbon footprint without compromising product performance.

Key benefits of CovationBio^® bioPTMEG include: 

• Production results in a substantial reduction of greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil-based incumbents;
• a product that is 100% bio-based and obtained from annually renewable resources;
• the use of feedstock such as corncobs, whichdo not compete with primary food sources;
• reducing the use of non-renewable fossil-based feedstocks.
• Drop-in performance that allows downstream partners to switch to bio-based raw material without process modifications

We seek to collaborate with global sustainability-driven value chain partners to explore carbon reduction strategies and expand applications for bio-based products.

What do you expect from your participation at K 2025 - and what are you personally looking forward to the most?

Zhao: We are eager to amplify our commitment to sustainability, connect with global value-chain partners, and demonstrate tangible progress toward a low-carbon future through our 2026 bioPTMEG commercial launch.

We anticipate forging strategic alliances with polymer producers, OEMs and brand owners to accelerate adoption of bio-based alternatives.

We are most excited to engage pioneers who share our vision of uncompromised environmental stewardship and to gather expert feedback on our innovations.