Circular House – A model for circular design
From the outset, our task was clear: supply the Circular House with more sustainable material solutions that meet the highest performance standards – yet use much less fossil based raw material and embody the circular economy.
Together with Recticel and Brightlands, we set out to help transform a highly visible demonstration building into a model for circular construction, proving that more sustainable PU foam is ready for real-world projects, not just theory.
Buildings are responsible for 37 % of global CO₂ emissions2. Through our collaboration with Recticel and Brightlands, we’re reducing fossil feedstocks and enabling circular, low-carbon insulation that supports more sustainable construction.
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Buildings account for roughly 37 % of global greenhouse-gas emissions2, with a quarter of those tied to the materials used before occupancy. Traditional PU insulation plays a key role during use-phase but still relies on fossil fuels as a primary source for raw materials. The team had to tackle two sides of the equation: maintain top-tier thermal and mechanical performance while achieving embodied carbon reduction — and do this in a building meant to stand for future-proof long-term sustainability.
PU insulation already saves energy consumption during a building’s life cycle, but now it also reduces embodied CO₂ emissions thanks to bio-circular attributed raw materials. The result is insulation with much lower product carbon footprinting and proven performance.
We supplied our climate-neutral3 raw material Desmodur® CQ MS – with 25 % bio-circular attributed certified feedstocks via the mass balance approach – for use in Recticel’s Eurothane® Silver Impact insulation boards, enabling a potential CO₂ reduction of around 43%4 compared with conventional boards – all while preserving the high insulation performance builders’ demand.
This project shows how embodied carbon reduction and energy efficiency can work together to lower environmental impacts and promote a cost effective transition across the supply chain.
1Low-carbon refers to materials or processes that result in significantly reduced life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions relative to the market average for comparable products, based on verifiable LCA data
2UN Environment Programme, https://www.unep.org/resources/report/building-materials-and-climate-constructing-new-future
3Climate neutrality is the result of an internal assessment based on the TÜV reviewed EcoPAss LCA method (ID No. 0000083440), of a partial product life cycle from raw material extraction (cradle) to the factory gate (of Covestro), also known as cradle-to-gate assessment. The calculation takes into account biogenic carbon sequestration based on preliminary data from the supply chain. No compensation measures were applied.
4Recticel’s LCA calculation according to EN15804+A2 standard, for modules A1 - A3 (cradle to gate), based on the mass balance method.
At Brightlands Circular Space, we selected insulation boards that combine performance with sustainability. They embody our mission to show how circular materials can be integrated into real-world projects.
Key benefits
- Lower CO₂ emissions: Less embodied carbon than conventional insulation
- Bio-circular attributed content: 25 % more sustainable feedstock allocated via mass balance
- High performance: Same superior insulation and durability as conventional PU boards
- Energy savings: Insulation cuts emissions across the building life cycle
- Circular synergy: Covestro, Recticel and Brightlands advance a circular economy
