China’s automotive industry is evolving from rapid expansion to structural upgrading, while the broader industrial sector is accelerating its green transformation to meet carbon neutrality goals. As a vital enabler of both industries, the coatings sector plays an essential role by providing low-carbon, durable, and safe material solutions.
In this context, Covestro, a leading global materials manufacturer, and Nippon Paint, one of Asia’s top coatings brands, have announced a strategic partnership to advance collaboration in automotive and industrial coatings. The partnership aims to jointly develop high-performance, sustainable coatings that promote industrial innovation and support China’s green manufacturing transformation.
Collaborating for Sustainable Coatings and Industrial Innovation
Building on deep market insights and decades of expertise, both companies will focus on automotive OEM coatings, refinish paints, and industrial applications including coil steel, construction machinery, wind power, and photovoltaics.
The cooperation will cover low-carbon material innovation, energy efficiency improvements, and VOC emission reduction, strengthening supply chain sustainability and driving high-quality development across the coatings value chain.
The agreement was officially signed at Nippon Paint’s booth during the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE 2025), highlighting the companies’ joint commitment to low-carbon innovation and collaborative development in China’s rapidly transforming coatings market.
Expanding from Automotive to Broader Industrial Applications
Covestro and Nippon Paint have a strong record of cooperation. At CIIE 2022, the two companies unveiled a bio-based automotive coatings solution capable of delivering matte-finish gradient colors—a breakthrough that met the automotive sector’s demand for unique design, advanced performance, and sustainability.
This new partnership expands their collaboration beyond automotive coatings to a wider range of industrial applications, aiming to establish a comprehensive low-carbon coating ecosystem that integrates innovation from raw materials to finished products.
“CIIE is more than a global exhibition—it’s a platform for building sustainable supply chains and fostering industry innovation,” said Bai Yi, Vice President of Nippon Paint China Purchasing Headquarters. “We’re excited to continue our partnership with Covestro to explore new breakthroughs in green coating technologies and bring more eco-friendly solutions to the Chinese market.”
Driving Green Transformation and Circular Innovation
Anand Khot, Head of Coatings and Adhesives Asia Pacific at Covestro, emphasized the strategic importance of this collaboration:
“This partnership will unlock the full synergistic potential of both companies in technology development and resource integration. Together, we aim to accelerate the industry’s green transformation through innovative material science, circular economy principles, and contribute to China’s dual carbon goals and industrial upgrading.”
The strengthened partnership reflects a shared vision between Covestro and Nippon Paint to champion sustainable innovation, climate action, and high-value industrial development in China and beyond.
About Covestro
Covestro is among the world’s leading manufacturers of high-performance polymer materials and components. With its cutting-edge innovations and circular economy initiatives, Covestro supports sustainability and quality of life across sectors such as mobility, construction, electronics, healthcare, and chemical manufacturing.
The company is fully committed to the circular economy and aims to achieve climate neutrality for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2035, and Scope 3 neutrality by 2050. In 2024, Covestro generated EUR 14.2 billion in sales, operated 46 production sites worldwide, and employed approximately 17,500 people.