First System House in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region for more sustainable MDI version
Pearl Polyurethane Systems, the leading polyurethane (PU) systems house in the Middle East and Africa region, will in future receive climate-neutral1 MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) from Covestro. It is climate-neutral from cradle to the factory gate1 of Covestro, thanks to the use of alternative raw materials – based on plant waste – that are allocated to the products using certified mass balancing according to ISCC PLUS.
The new MDI enables Pearl to help its downstream customers reduce their carbon footprint by offering a broader portfolio of more sustainable raw materials as part of its newly rebranded EcoPearl product range. The new MDI grades from Covestro can be used in numerous construction, cold chain and automotive applications.
Pearl is the first system house in the EMEA region to receive the carbon-neutral1 MDI from its former joint venture partner and long-time supplier Covestro. The latter has already received ISCC-PLUS certification for five of its 16 main sites and is able to supply climate-neutral MDI from its sites in Uerdingen, Germany, and Caojing, China.
Following a comprehensive ISCC audit to trace the supply chain and assess raw material sustainability requirements, Pearl became the first local polyurethane systems house to be ISCC certified in March 2022, enabling it to verify the various sustainability credentials for its product formulations and raw materials used. The certification followed an internationally recognized five-step process and allows end users to measure the sustainability performance of the ISCC-certified products they use.
In the context of commercial building insulation, ISCC PLUS certification allows end users and tenants of such buildings constructed with Pearl-supplied insulation products to easily measure and verify the sustainability performance of the buildings they occupy. This is a factor that is becoming increasingly important to businesses as consumer interest in the environmental impact of companies grows.
“This mass-balanced carbon neutral MDI further enriches our broad portfolio focused on the circular economy and responds to the growing demand for more sustainable products,” says Sucheta Govil, Chief Commercial Officer of Covestro. “By working with multipliers such as Pearl Polyurethane and helping a growing number of downstream users in various industries achieve their sustainability goals, together we are accelerating the transition to the circular economy.” Covestro plans to further expand its portfolio of carbon-neutral products.
Martin Kruczinna, CEO of Pearl Polyurethane Systems, commented, “rigid polyurethane foam, as a superior insulating material, plays an important role in meeting the Paris Agreement to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius at best. Just as Covestro is leading the way among PU raw material producers to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035, Pearl is acting as an agent of change in the PU systems industry, giving its customers a competitive advantage by helping them adapt to greener technologies and improve the thermal insulation performance of their products. The addition of carbon neutral1 MDI-based solutions to our newly named EcoPearl product range helps our customers achieve their emission reduction and circular economy goals.”
