Covestro is fully committed to making the circular economy a model for a truly sustainable world, the polymer company conveyed in a live broadcast on the Internet in front of international media on 26 May 2020. To this end, the materials manufacturer wants to completely align its entire production and product range as well as all areas in the long term to the circular concept. This strategic vision is to be gradually implemented with numerous concrete measures and projects. In this way, Covestro wants to accelerate the change to a circular economy, especially in the chemical and plastics industries, and contribute to the goal of a greenhouse gas-neutral economy.

WindEurope, the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) and the European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA) have presented their recommendations for the recycling of wind turbine blades in their new report “Accelerating Wind Turbine Blade Circularity”.

According to the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), some members of the polyurethanes industry are currently transitioning to low global warming potential (GWP) blowing agents. This transition has been complicated by the U.S. Court of Appeals – D.C. Circuit’s decisions to partially vacate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Rules 20 and 21. SNAP Rules 20 and 21 prohibited the use of certain hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blowing agents in certain foam sectors. The dates of prohibition for the foam sector varied from 1 January 2017 to 1 January 2021.

The data and analytics company GlobalData reported that amid the Covid-19 crisis, global construction output is expected to contract by 1.4 % in 2020. “Although the construction industry has in some cases been exempt from restrictions on business activity, few major markets will manage to record an increase in construction output in 2020,” said Danny Richards, lead economist at GlobalData.

The Spanish company Morchem announced that it has invested more than EUR 25 million to build one of the worlds most advanced and automatised polyurethane and polyester plants in Guadalajara, Spain. The facility was set up in only 16 months after the laying of the foundation stone in November 2018 and started production at the end of April 2020. The company now operates two plants in the country: One in Las Franquesas del Valles manufacturing polyurethane and polyester products, as well as for the scaling of new developments, and the other one in Guadalajara where high volume products will be manufactured with a very high degree of automation.

Huntsman Corporation announced that it has branded its spray polyurethane foam (SPF) business as Huntsman Building Solutions (HBS). HBS is a global platform within Huntsman’s Polyurethanes division.

Joe Harris has been appointed as new Senior Account Manager at Everchem Specialty Chemicals. Harris has been a territory manager for over twenty years, and has deep industry knowledge related to selling speciality additives into the tyre and rubber, rigid polyurethane and isocyanurate foam, lubricant and catalyst markets.

Huntsman announced that since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the company has been producing thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers for manufacturers of essential medical personal protective equipment (PPE) around the world. The TPUs are being used to produce hospital gowns, face masks, mattress covers, tubes, valves, cable jackets and, notably, powered air purifying respirators (PAPR).

According to Rampf Group, vehicles must be reliably sealed to keep moisture outside of the car. When driving in wet conditions, the water should always run off the car and not finds its way through the car door into the interior. Sealing foams based on polyurethane and silicone from Rampf Polymer Solutions play a central role in keeping cars dry.