ÃÜÌÒAV becomes shareholder of Crime Science Technology
Strengthening of the specialty films business for identification documents
• Strategic focus on investments in start-ups
• Exclusive partner for unique O.V.M® material technology
As part of its corporate venture capital activities, ÃÜÌÒAV invests in the French technical start-up company (C.S.T). With this investment, ÃÜÌÒAV strengthens its business with special films for ID documents and gets access to the Optical Variable Material (O.V.M®) technology for polycarbonates and polyurethanes. This innovative technology developed by C.S.T enables new security features and makes identification documents even more forgery-proof than before. C.S.T was founded in 2010 and has an administrative and a laboratory location in France. The transaction is one of the first projects of ÃÜÌÒAV´s strategy to invest in start-ups. It was agreed not to disclose the amount of the investment.
“With this step, we are strengthening our position as an innovation driver in special films for ID documents,” says Dr. Thorsten Dreier, Global Head of the Specialty Films business at ÃÜÌÒAV. “With the new partnership and the introduction of Makrofol® ID O.V.M® films we are creating a new degree of security.” ÃÜÌÒAV has many years of experience in the development and production of films for .
Cosimo Prete, President and founder of C.S.T, also welcomes the new strategic cooperation: “We value ÃÜÌÒAV as a very innovative partner in the development of film solutions for the production of identification documents and look forward to working together in this growing market.”
Security features for easy contro
To prevent document attacks through forgery, manipulation and identity theft, ID documents such as ID Cards or passports are equipped with various security features. In routine ID checks, visible and haptic level 1 elements in particular are becoming increasingly important, as they can be checked quickly and without additional technical equipment.
ÃÜÌÒAV and C.S.T have been working together in this field since 2016. Last year, ÃÜÌÒAV introduced the transparent Makrofol® ID O.V.M® film to the industry. The O.V.M® material technology creates a completely new color change effect, which is a very strong level 1 security feature. The new film can be integrated into existing card manufacturing processes without further modifications.
About ÃÜÌÒAV:
ÃÜÌÒAV 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. ÃÜÌÒAV 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 ÃÜÌÒAV are also used in sectors such as sports and leisure, telecommunications and health, as well as in the chemical industry itself.
The company is geared completely to the circular economy. In addition, ÃÜÌÒAV 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. ÃÜÌÒAV generated sales of EUR 14.2 billion in fiscal year 2024. At the end of 2024, the company had 46 production sites worldwide and employed approximately 17,500 people (calculated as full-time equivalents).
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by ÃÜÌÒAV. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in ÃÜÌÒAV¡¯s public reports which are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.