Covestro and Roborock: Revolutionizing Robot Vacuum Cleaners with more Sustainable and Integrated Solutions

Roborock Technology, known for its industry-leading smart home cleaning devices, sought to enhance its robot vacuum cleaners with more sustainable material solutions. In pursuit of this advancement, Roborock engaged Covestro for a holistic solution that would not only augment product performance but also integrate with its broader sustainability ambitions. The requirement was to engineer a solution where environmental considerations are optimized without detracting from product performance or design.

Covestro, in partnership with Roborock Technology, rose to the challenge of engineering more sustainable materials for robot vacuum cleaners that do not compromise on performance and design. 

A key hurdle in this endeavor was the limitations of traditional bio and recycled materials. These materials often fail to satisfy critical design and performance metrics. The right materials had to support the Roborock robot vacuum’s entire life cycle and endure the wear and tear of everyday cleaning, while enjoying a high level of design freedom for uncompromised aesthetics.

Covestro's comprehensive solution harnesses the combined strengths of two pioneering material technologies: the bio-mass-balanced thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and post-consumer recycled (PCR) flame-retardant polycarbonate blends, marking a leap in sustainability for smart home appliances. 

The intelligent robot vacuum’s brush and wheel components feature our biomass balanced Desmopan® TPU MBC solution, incorporating 10%-15% ISCC Plus-certified sustainable content attributed from biomass and renewable raw materials. This more sustainable solution maintains equivalent performance and quality to fossil based TPUs while offering lower carbon emissions. Our TPU solution can be seamlessly integrated into existing systems without requiring technical investment or production interruptions. This innovative TPU solution enhances robot vacuum cleaners with superior wear resistance, quieter operation, and an improved user experience. Additionally, by mass balancing, our Desmopan® TPU CQ MBC series can integrate up to 80%* renewable raw materials that potentially reduces carbon emissions by up to 20% compared to traditional TPU manufacturing. 

* Based on up to 65% segregated and up to 25% bio-circular attributed content

The robot vacuum housing is made of Bayblend® FR3010 R75, a flame-retardant PC/ABS material with 75% PCR content certified by UL Solutions' Environmental Claim Validation (ECV). Not only does it reduce landfilled plastic waste, but it also reduces carbon emissions by 50% compared to its virgin counterpart. The material also meets the rigorous UL94 V0 standards across various wall thicknesses, ensuring maximum safety and design versatility. 

Together, these more sustainable materials from Covestro represent a significant leap forward. They exemplify our ability to harmonize environmental responsibility with outstanding performance and design freedom, setting new standards in the industry.