Covestro Launches Climate-Neutral MDI

Covestro is pursuing its path to a circular economy and is now offering customers a climate-neutral MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate). It is climate neutral from the cradle to the factory gate of Covestro, thanks to the use of alternative raw materials — based on plant waste — that are allocated to the products via certified mass balancing according to ISCC PLUS. The new MDI grades can be used in numerous applications in the construction, cold-chain, and automotive sectors.

According to a common calculation model, on balance no CO₂ emissions are generated in the part of the value-added cycle at Covestro. The climate-neutral MDI and its precursors are manufactured at the ISCC PLUS–certified Covestro sites in Krefeld-Uerdingen, Antwerp, and Shanghai.

"With the launch of our climate-neutral MDI, we are now further expanding our portfolio of climate-neutral products," said Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer. "I am pleased that this will enable us to even better support our customers in large parts of the world in meeting their own sustainability goals and transitioning to a circular economy." Last December, the company announced the launch of its climate-neutral polycarbonate.

Hermann-Josef Dörholt, Global Head of the Performance Materials Business Entity, added: "Climate-neutral products are an important factor in achieving our sustainability goals. Our climate-neutral MDI has another major advantage: It is a drop-in solution — so our customers can use it immediately in their production without any changeover and without compromising on quality."

This is the case, for example, in building insulation. MDI is an indispensable raw material for the production of polyurethane (PU) insulation boards and sandwich panels, among other products. These have proven their value for many years as highly efficient elements in the thermal insulation of buildings. The heating or cooling requirements of buildings can be reduced by up to 70% through the use of PU insulation. This saves CO₂ emissions and is good for residents' wallets. Because PU insulation elements can therefore be designed thinner to achieve good insulation performance already, they save resources and make more usable space accessible than other insulation materials.