Story
ISCC Plus certification for expanding more sustainable footprint in Latin America
More sustainable MDI and TDI to meet climate goals: Covestro’s commitment to circularity and sustainability drive innovation and the use of alternative raw materials. Our shift to mass-balanced products allows our customers to reduce their greenhouse gas emission and the transition to a circular economy.
Our ISCC Plus certification underlines the potential of ensuring sustainability and transparency
ISCC (“International Sustainability and Carbon Certification”) is an internationally recognized system for sustainability certification of biomass and bioenergy, among others. The standard covers all stages of the value chain and is used worldwide. The ISCC PLUS we gained includes further certification options for technical-chemical applications, among others, including plastics from biomass.
Renewable-attributed toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) are produced using the mass balance method. In this approach, raw materials derived from biomass– also known as bio or bio-circular feedstock – are fed in at an early stage of raw material extraction and mathematically attributed to the finished products. Substituting feedstock derived from fossil fuels with biomass feedstock thus establishes bio-circularity, saves fossil raw materials and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, while the quality of the TDI and MDI remains the same compared to the fossil-based route. Manufacturers can continue to use their proven formulations, equipment and processes, while gradually transforming their product portfolio towards a more sustainable one in order to achieve their climate targets.
We manufacture mass-balanced TDI and MDI at our sites in Germany and China. These sites are certified according to the ISCC PLUS standard. By gaining the ISCC certification for Brazil, we have now set yet another landmark.
With our mass balance approach and the ISCC Plus certification in Brazil for the sales of bio and bio-circular-attributed MDI and TDI, we have taken yet another major step along our path to a circular economy and have achieved an important milestone in expanding our more sustainable footprint in one of the biggest and most important markets in Latin America.
“This is an extremely important step for us as it makes the transformation towards the circular economy tangible and supports our customers in their sustainability goals and in accelerating the substitution of fossil raw materials.”
Alternative raw materials for circularity across different segments and an entire continent
Covestro Indústria e Comércio de Polímeros Ltda. obtained the important international certification by ISCC for the sale of bio and bio-circular-attributed TDI and MDI. This is a major achievement that clearly demonstrates the company’s commitment towards climate neutrality and the circular economy and its pioneering role in leading the transition within the different segments served by Covestro not only in Brazil but also in prominent countries in the region such as Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, Argentina and Costa Rica, among others.
Green Domus, an ISCC-recognized certification body responsible for the certification process in Brazil, praised Covestro’s processes and management systems which bring credibility and prove the traceability of the sustainable material from purchase to sale. Local storage has also proven to be very efficient in terms of the internal traceability of the batches received. An automated system for receiving and dispatching makes the identification of the sustainable material possible through a code that is dispatched at the moment of receipt.
As we move away from linear production and make efforts to replace fossil-based raw materials, we see the value that end-of-life compounds and materials have to offer. Since it is quite likely that these materials will become the most important alternative raw material sources in the future, we have decided to act now and are delving into innovative methods to manufacture our own products from these sources.
These compounds and materials will allow designers and manufacturers, for instance from the mattress, upholstery, construction, cold chain and composites industries, to take big steps in improving and developing innovative applications, achieving their sustainability goals and, ultimately, contribute to improving the environment. A truly positive change for the better.
“Covestro’s ISCC certification project in Brazil shows that it is possible to ensure change and sustainability in complex chains, with materials from diverse origins and destinations. This is yet another important step in promoting genuinely sustainable chains.”
Expanding our climate-neutral product portfolio for greater transparency and sustainability
With the launch of our bio and bio-circular-attributed TDI and MDI grades, we at Covestro continue to strive to further expand our range of more environmentally sustainable products and chemicals. Covestro’s solutions, for example, in foams, mattresses, insulation, and refrigeration equipment benefit our customers in the furniture, construction, composites, and cold chain industries.
In addition, these solutions help our customers reduce their dependency on fossil resources and significantly reduce CO₂ emissions. Furthermore, thanks to the ISCC Plus certification, we create transparency along the value chain.
Moreover, the possibility to source certified chemicals and renewable feedstock in large quantities, by virtue of the mass-balance approach, enables us to significantly reduce our carbon footprint without compromising on quality, performance or esthetics.
Our mass-balanced products have another major advantage: our customers can use them immediately in their production processes without having to change existing processes, plants and technology.
-
Polyurethane flexible foams made from renewable-attributed TDI via mass balance for comfortable mattresses -
Mass-balanced MDI used in polyurethane rigid foam insulation as highly efficient elements in the sustainable construction of buildings. -
Refrigeration appliances are insulated with rigid polyurethane foam, which now also has a sustainable variant made from mass-balanced MDI.
The mass-balance approach for a reduced carbon footprint and a circular economy
By introducing the branding “CQ”, Covestro has taken yet another step in underlining its commitment to climate neutrality and a circular economy. The branding suffix CQ stands for circular intelligence and highlights how innovative solutions can drive the circular economy ahead. And Covestro aims to continue expanding its range of chemicals and solutions that bear the CQ suffix.
Desmodur® CQ products play an important role in achieving our sustainability goals. Desmodur® CQ T80, Desmodur® CQ T65, Desmodur® CQ 44V70L MB and Desmodur® CQ 44V20L MB – in addition to our climate-neutral products Desmodur® CQ 44V70L MS and Desmodur® CQ 44V20L MS – are among the first products available with a significantly improved carbon footprint.
With the “CQ” concept, Covestro aims to highlight the alternative raw material base in products if it is at least 25 percent. Among the first “CQ” products, polyurethanes based on Desmodur® CQ are deployed, for example, in upholstered furniture, mattresses and thermal insulation. In addition, they are used, for instance, as coatings for cars or household appliances.
Customers can easily distinguish products based on alternative raw materials from fossil-based ones by the CQ label in the product name. All our solutions under the umbrella CQ show our intention of transforming our vision of a circular economy into reality and to help customers and partners achieve their sustainability and climate goals. In this way, we also aim to meet consumer demands for more sustainable products.
Raw materials produced from biomass and, in particular, from bio-waste and residual materials continue to gain importance. Both are now available in large quantities and can be used to manufacture a wide range of plastics. Through mass balancing, they are offered at the same high quality as their fossil-based counterparts without customers undertaking technical modifications or changing their processing operations.
In fact, Covestro works with a number of suppliers who offer the raw materials using a mass-balance approach certified according to the internationally recognized ISCC PLUS standard. The starting point also includes fossil raw materials, with the biological portions being allocated to the products by a third-party-audited allocation method.
Covestro is thus converting its production to the use of alternative and, above all, mass-balanced raw materials.
Solutions that can be adopted seamlessly without any technical or procedural modifications and a fully circular production that is ultimately independent of fossil resources – surely the benefits are clear. By focusing on these ambitious targets, we at Covestro are supporting a wide range of industries in reducing the carbon footprint of their own products.
Key Benefits
- Sustainable: More sustainable TDI and MDI significantly reduce CO₂ emissions, cradle to gate.
- Fast: Prompt implementation with consistently high quality.
- Seamless: No need to alter proven formulations, equipment and processes.
- Adaptable: More sustainable TDI and MDI help gradual product changes to meet climate goals.
- Transparent: ISCC-Plus-certified raw material from mass-balanced feedstock.
