Bio-Circular Insulation: Reducing Carbon in Construction
Covestro AG
Highlights
40% of energy in the US is used by buildings. Improving energy efficiency is essential for sustainability.
Covestro and Carlisle are working on bio-based products, like low-carbon insulation, to reduce carbon emissions.
Carlisle’s new insulation boards will have lower carbon content.
Covestro and Carlisle’s long-term partnership is delivering more sustainable solutions.
Since 40% of US energy is consumed by buildings, energy efficiency is crucial for sustainability.
Architects, builders, and property owners now focus on creating more energy-efficient buildings.
Covestro and Carlisle Construction Materials (Carlisle) are launching bio-circular products into the construction industry to reduce the environmental impact of building materials.
Covestro supplies Carlisle with methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) from ISCC PLUS certified mass-balanced bio-circular raw materials. This innovative MDI has up to 99% lower carbon footprint compared to fossil-based MDI and 2.4 KG CO2 reduction per KG of MDI produced. These materials will be used by Carlisle to manufacture high-performance polyiso insulation boards, which will reduce embodied carbon in construction projects.
This is the latest in a long-term partnership between Covestro and Carlisle, which has delivered innovation in construction materials for decades. As the demand for sustainable construction grows, both companies are committed to developing the next generation of eco-friendly insulation materials.
Hermann-Josef Doerholt, global head of Performance Materials at Covestro, said: “Covestro’s vision to become fully circular requires R&D advancements that directly support the scope 3 goals of our customers, like Carlisle. Covestro has some of the most aggressive sustainability and climate targets in the chemical industry, and the further we progress in developing solutions to achieve them, the more the effects resonate along the supply chain.”
Covestro’s Mondur® CQ 489 MS isocyanate will be at the heart of this. The CQ, or “Circular Intelligence”, label means these products contain at least 25% alternative raw materials from biomass or recycled plastics.
Carlisle Construction Materials, a leading building envelope solutions company, has a target to be net zero by 2050. The company’s new bio-based rigid foam insulation with 5% bio-circular content will be used across several of its brands, including SynTec, Versico, Hunter Panels and WeatherBond. This is another step in Carlisle’s journey to sustainable building solutions.
Steve Schwar, President of Carlisle Construction Materials, said: “Carlisle Construction Materials has always been at the forefront of developing high-performance construction products that lead the way in sustainability.
"With our new bio-based rigid foam insulation, we are demonstrating our unwavering commitment to environmental responsibility while ensuring that our customers have access to the most advanced building materials available. Our partners play a pivotal role in the realization of our bio-based isolation.
"Together, we're not only pushing the boundaries of material science but also supporting the construction industry's transition to a more sustainable future."
Julia Rubino, head of sales for Performance Materials at Covestro North America, said: “At Covestro, we have long understood the unparalleled performance attributes of polyurethane insulation. The ability to provide an innovative, bio-circular raw material solution to a long-time partner and a leader in the construction industry, like Carlisle, shows that future-focused sustainable solutions are available today.”
Covestro has ISCC PLUS certified facilities globally, including a major manufacturing site in Baytown, Texas. The company aims to be climate neutral (scope 1 and 2) by 2035 and fully climate neutral by 2050 (scope 3). With hundreds of circular products in its portfolio Covestro is expanding its range to meet the growing demand for sustainable materials in the construction industry.
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Source: Covestro
