The European Union is embarking on the transition to a climate neutral economy with the blueprint laid out in the European Green deal. The European Green deal will have an unprecedented impact on all industries across Europe and the globe, not least of all the polyurethane sector. By 2050, The European Union aims at becoming a sustainable and climate neutral economy, while already reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. The European Green Deal includes major action fields mobilising the polyurethane industry for a clean and circular economy.
The next challenge is how to turn the Green Deal blueprint into reality. It is an immense undertaking and the inherent properties of polyurethanes provide sustainable solutions to address many of the challenges of the Green Deal. An important aspect of the Green Deal is moving from a linear model towards a circular economy. The circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended.
To deliver on these ambitions by 2050, the polyurethane industry has launched a series of initiatives including the use of recycled resources and the development of recycling technologies to minimize waste and reduce CO2 emissions.
Polyurethane foam is a thermoset polymer. Contrary to thermoplastics, thermoset plastics are capable of becoming fully rigid when heated or cured. Because of its lightweight and unique properties, polyurethane foam is used in a variety of applications.
It can be tailored to be either rigid or flexible, with a market share of about 50:50. Around 90% of flexible PU foam is used in bedding, upholstery and automotive industry. The rest is used in a variety of applications, such as kitchen sponges, shoe insoles or as acoustic insulation, among hundreds of other applications.
PU rigid foam is a premium engineered insulation material used in a wide range of building and technical applications. Thanks to its low thermal conductivity and high durability, it may save more than 100 times the energy needed for its production during its 50-year lifetime – possibly more – in buildings.
Polyurethane foam is a durable material, normally made to last for the whole lifetime of the product that contains it. When PU reaches its End-of-Life phase – after many decades in use – it enters the waste stream, ready to be re-used or recycled.
