Buildings and the built environment account for nearly 40% of energy use in the U.S. Architects, builders, and building owners know that energy efficiency is a critical component of a sustainable future. To that end, Covestro LLC (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA) and Carlisle Construction Materials (Carlisle) (Carlisle, Pennsylvania, USA) are collaborating to bring bio-circular products to the construction industry.
Covestro will supply Carlisle with methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) that is based on International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS certified mass balanced bio-circular raw materials and features up to a 99%1 lower product carbon footprint than fossil-based MDI. It specifically has a CO2 reduction potential of 2.4 KG per KG of MDI produced.2 This will enable Carlisle to produce its high-performance polyiso insulation boards with lower embodied carbon.
The collaboration between Covestro and Carlisle extends a legacy of joint innovation in the construction industry that spans decades. As sustainability targets for the built environment stand to increase, the two companies are prepared to develop and introduce the next generation of insulation materials.
“Covestro’s mission to become fully circular requires R&D advancements that directly support the scope 3 goals of our customers, like Carlisle,” says Hermann-Josef Doerholt, global head of the segment Performance Materials at Covestro. “Covestro has some of the most aggressive sustainability and climate change targets in the chemical industry, and the further we progress in developing solution to achieve them, the more the effects resonate along the supply chain.”
Covestro will supply its Mondur CQ 489 MS isocyanate to Carlisle. The CQ, or Circular Intelligence designation, represents a broad family of Covestro’s circular products with an attribution of at least 25% alternative raw materials derived from biomass or recycled plastics.
A global leader in building envelope solutions, Carlisle aims to be net zero by 2050. Carlisle will produce its bio-based rigid foam insulation, which contains 5% bio-circular content, for the SynTech, Versico, Hunter Panels, and WeatherBond brands. This state-of-the-art bio-based insulation is the latest addition to Carlisle’s portfolio of sustainable building products.
“Carlisle Construction Materials has always been at the forefront of developing high-performance construction products that lead the way in sustainability,” says Steve Schwar, president of Carlisle. “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.”
“At Covestro, we have long understood the unparalleled performance attributes of polyurethane insulation,” says Julia Rubino, head of sales for Performance Materials at Covestro North America. “The ability to provide an innovative, bio-circular raw material solution to a long-time partner and leader in the construction industry, like Carlisle, shows that future-focused sustainable solutions are available today.”
Covestro has ISCC PLUS certified facilities in every major global market, including its manufacturing facility in Baytown, Texas. In support of its vision to be fully circular, Covestro aims to be operationally climate neutral (scope 1 and scope 2) by 2035 and climate neutral for scope 3 by 2050. The company currently has hundreds of circular CQ products and is continually expanding its product portfolio.
1 Exact percentage depends on the amount of allocated raw material.
2 Bio-circular attributed MDI contains ~60% ISSC PLUS certified feedstock. The calculation is based on Covestro-specific production and supply chain data, replacing fossil raw material with ISCC PLUS certified renewable feedstock via the mass balance approach.
Source: Covestro, www.covestro.com