Bayer MaterialScience at UTECH 2015: Thinking in Life Cycles

Leverkusen, February 5, 2015 – “Do You Think In Life Cycles?” – the slogan Bayer MaterialScience is exhibiting with at UTECH 2015 in Maastricht from April 14 to 16 demonstrates a clear commitment to life cycle management. Visitors to the international polyurethanes trade show will be invited to join the company in developing solutions for completing the carbon cycle, reducing environmental footprints and increasing the service life of products.

Exhibiting at stand 1450, Bayer MaterialScience will be presenting a range of innovative and sustainable solutions where polyurethanes are key to reaching these objectives. Polyurethanes deliver top-quality thermal insulation for buildings, reducing heat loss by up to 70 percent, and have exceptional eco-credentials. They also contribute to safeguarding basic food supplies, as they are used to protect foodstuffs in the journey from the field to the consumer’s table.

Completing the carbon cycle

CO₂ is used in some foam precursors as a building block for synthesis, partially alleviating dependence on crude oil. “With this important development, Bayer MaterialScience has clearly shown how this greenhouse gas can be fed back into the material cycle,” says Hermann-Josef Doerholt, head of commercial operations for polyurethanes in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America at Bayer MaterialScience, and stand manager for the company at UTECH 2015. “This can also lead to a gradual reduction of dependence on fossil-based fuels.”

These developments serve as examples of the holistic approach to sustainability that Bayer MaterialScience is actively implementing. It is with this concept in mind that the company is developing products and processes that improve human life, protect the environment and provide society with added value. At the UTECH 2015 conference, experts from Bayer MaterialScience will give presentations providing further details of the developments described above.

Completing material cycles in a way that delivers both economic and environmental benefits requires comprehensive analysis of each relevant life cycle. At the end of the life cycle it is important to ensure efficient waste management – this is also key to meeting the ambitious target of eliminating landfill waste altogether by 2020. Bayer MaterialScience is working with other raw materials companies to analyze all the possible options for reusing and recycling polyurethanes, including thermal recycling. Particularly for products with a high calorific value, thermal recycling is often the most ecologically sound way to recover energy.

About Bayer MaterialScience

With 2013 sales of EUR 11.2 billion, Bayer MaterialScience is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction and the sports and leisure industries. At the end of 2013, Bayer MaterialScience had 30 production sites and employed approximately 14,300 people around the globe. Bayer MaterialScience is a Bayer Group company.

Source: Bayer MaterialScience, press release, 2015-02-05.