Covestro India and CSIR-NCL Collaborate On Polyurethane Waste

Covestro has formed a partnership with the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) to initiate a CSR initiative that is designed to create sustainable upcycling solutions for polyurethane materials. The project's objective is to enhance the circularity of polyurethane materials and lower the environmental impact by converting polyurethane waste into valuable chemical building blocks.

Currently, polyurethane recycling is limited to mechanical methods and emerging chemical processes, which face limitations such as material degradation, high energy requirements, harmful byproducts, and limited applicability across different polyurethane types. The project aims to develop efficient chemical recycling technologies for polyurethanes.

Avinash Bagdi, Director & Head of Sales & MD Solutions India & Projects – Tailored Urethanes, said, “This partnership strengthens our commitment to finding innovative solutions for polyurethane waste and directly supports Covestro’s vision of becoming fully circular. By developing effective methods to upcycle polyurethanes, we’re taking concrete steps toward creating a more sustainable future in line with our corporate vision of driving the transition to a circular economy.”

The project tackles the global issue of managing polyurethane waste, a material with a complex chemical structure and cross-linked nature. Despite their widespread use in furniture, automotive components, and insulation, polyurethanes are often discarded and accumulated in landfills, posing unique recycling challenges.

Dr Ashish Lele, Director of NCL, said, “CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory is excited to partner with Covestro (India) in this groundbreaking initiative to develop novel chemical upcycling methods for polyurethane waste. The conventional and electrochemical strategies we’re developing address the critical limitations of current recycling technologies and align perfectly with our shared vision of a circular economy.”