Covestro starts brand launch for CO₂ products

At the recent conference of EUROPUR, the European association of flexible polyurethane foam block manufacturers, Covestro received the Sustainability Award for CO2-based polyurethane components, which are marketed under the new brand name cardyon®. Project head Dr. Karsten Malsch (second from right) and his colleagues Dr. Lutz Brassat, Dr. Stefan Lindner and Matthaeus Gossner (from left) were very delighted about the award. On the right side is Jean-Pierre de Kesel (Recticel), a member of the jury. - Zoom –

By using the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide to synthesize plastics, Covestro is helping to preserve increasingly scarce fossil resources and close the carbon loop. The company has developed a new technology for using CO₂ to make substances, which are then used for the manufacture of premium foams. Under the new brand name cardyon®, Covestro now offers partners in the polyurethane industry the opportunity of reducing their dependence on oil and thus the size of their carbon footprint.

“Our customers want more sustainable raw materials, but also the same high product quality they achieved with conventional components,” explained project manager Dr. Karsten Malsch. “cardyon® is an equal alternative to conventional products. At the same time, customers can set themselves apart from the competition with our product.”

Award-winning development

The technology also impressed EUROPUR, the European association of flexible polyurethane foam blocks manufacturers. At the association’s 50th anniversary conference, it selected Covestro as winner of this year’s Sustainability Award. Jean-Pierre de Kesel, chief sustainable innovation officer at Recticel, spoke on behalf of the jury, praising the outstanding contribution made by innovations of this kind to reducing the industry’s ecological footprint. The award was presented in cooperation with the trade journal Urethanes Technology International.

Covestro will soon be commencing operation of the first production plant for CO₂-based polyether polyols at its Dormagen site. The facility will produce raw materials for products such as the flexible polyurethane foams used in mattresses and upholstered furniture.

Covestro is collaborating with partners in industry and academia to develop further components and potential applications for CO₂-based polyurethanes.

About Covestro

With 2015 sales of EUR 12.1 billion, Covestro 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. Covestro, formerly Bayer MaterialScience, has 30 production sites around the globe and as of the end of the first quarter 2016 employed approximately 15,700 people (full-time equivalents).

Source: Covestro, press release, 2016-06-24.