Covestro and puren Advance Purenit With ISCC PLUS Certification
Covestro and puren Advance purenit® With ISCC PLUS Certification
Covestro and puren Take Another Step Toward More Sustainable purenit®
Covestro and puren are strengthening their collaboration to improve the environmental footprint of purenit®, a functional material made from recovered polyurethane production residues.
The latest development follows the commissioning of a new production line at puren's Obermarchtal site in Germany, where the company has now achieved ISCC PLUS certification for its entire purenit® production.
The certification creates the basis for puren to use Desmodur® CQ MS, a Covestro binder based on bio-circular attributed raw materials. The companies say the development could enable purenit® to achieve a lower carbon footprint while maintaining its existing material performance and processing characteristics.
Puren has announced that its first purenit® product using the new binder is planned for market launch in 2027.
What Is purenit®?
purenit® is a highly compressed functional material based on rigid polyurethane (PUR) and polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam.
The material has a density of approximately 550 kg/m³ and combines relatively low weight with properties such as pressure resistance, moisture resistance and dimensional stability.
It can also be sawed, milled, drilled and glued using standard woodworking equipment.
These characteristics allow purenit® to be used across a wide range of applications, including:
Windows and doors
Facades and building base areas
Bathrooms and wellness areas
Outdoor kitchens
Interior fittings
Motorhomes
Commercial vehicles
Ships
The material is produced using an adhesive-press process in which polyurethane residual materials are processed into homogeneous boards. This gives polyurethane production residues a new application rather than treating them solely as waste.
New Production Line at Obermarchtal
A key milestone in the latest collaboration is the commissioning of a new purenit® production line at puren's Obermarchtal facility.
At the same time, puren achieved ISCC PLUS certification covering its entire purenit® production at the site.
The certification is important because it provides the framework needed to introduce Covestro's Desmodur® CQ MS binder while making sustainability-related claims based on the certified mass-balance approach.
The companies have not disclosed the production capacity or investment cost associated with the new production line.
Why ISCC PLUS Certification Matters
ISCC PLUS is a certification system used to verify the use and allocation of alternative raw materials through supply chains.
In this case, the process relies on a mass-balance approach.
Bio-circular feedstocks are physically introduced into the production system at an earlier stage. These materials are then mathematically allocated to specific products further along the value chain.
This means the bio-circular raw material does not necessarily remain physically separated from conventional feedstocks throughout the entire production process.
ISCC PLUS provides independent verification of this allocation across the supply chain.
For puren, full certification of its purenit® production is therefore an important requirement for using the certified mass-balance approach when incorporating the new binder.
Covestro's Desmodur® CQ MS Binder
The next stage of the collaboration involves Desmodur® CQ MS, supplied by Covestro.
The product is based on MDI produced using bio-circular feedstocks attributed through the mass-balance system.
Covestro says the material provides a lower-carbon raw-material option while allowing puren to maintain its existing processing approach.
This is important for manufacturers because sustainability improvements can be more practical when they do not require major changes to established production processes.
According to Covestro, the binder can be incorporated without changing the processing of purenit®, while providing the basis for a reduced carbon footprint.
Combining Recycling With Bio-Circular Feedstocks
One of the most notable aspects of the collaboration is that it addresses sustainability at two different points in the value chain.
First, purenit® itself is produced by recovering polyurethane residual materials and converting them into a functional board.
Second, the new binder from Covestro uses bio-circular feedstocks through a certified mass-balance system.
This creates a combination of material recovery and alternative raw-material sourcing within the same product concept.
The approach illustrates how circular-economy principles can be incorporated into industrial materials without necessarily changing their basic functional properties.
Potential Reduction in the Carbon Footprint
The companies expect the new approach to improve the environmental footprint of purenit®.
Puren Managing Director Dr. Andreas Huther said the ISCC PLUS certification provides the basis for using Desmodur® CQ MS with bio-circular attributed raw materials while maintaining the material's performance.
Covestro's Performance Materials business also describes Desmodur® CQ MS as a raw material with a reduced carbon footprint.
However, the companies have not disclosed a specific percentage reduction in purenit's carbon footprint for the upcoming product.
The actual environmental benefit will therefore need to be assessed once more detailed product and lifecycle information becomes available.
New Product Planned for 2027
The collaboration has already moved beyond certification and into product development.
During the inauguration of the new production line, puren announced that its first purenit® product using Desmodur® CQ MS is planned for commercial launch in 2027.
The development could give customers access to a purenit® product incorporating alternative raw-material inputs while retaining the established characteristics of the material.
The planned launch will also provide a practical test of market demand for lower-carbon polyurethane-based functional materials.
Applications Across Construction and Transportation
Purenit® has applications in several industries, which could broaden the relevance of the development.
In construction, the material is used in areas such as windows, doors, facades and base structures.
Its moisture resistance and dimensional stability also make it suitable for bathrooms, wellness areas and outdoor kitchens.
Beyond construction, purenit® is used in interior applications for motorhomes, commercial vehicles and ships.
This range of applications means that improvements in the material's environmental footprint could potentially be relevant to multiple downstream sectors.
A Model for Value-Chain Collaboration
The Covestro–puren project also demonstrates the role of cooperation between raw-material suppliers and downstream processors in developing more sustainable products.
Covestro provides the Desmodur® CQ MS binder, while puren converts polyurethane residual materials into a functional board.
The result combines a circular material concept with certified alternative feedstocks.
Such collaborations can help move sustainability initiatives beyond individual raw materials and into finished industrial products that are already used in commercial applications.
What to Watch Next
The key developments to monitor include:
Commercial launch of the new purenit® product in 2027
Additional information on its carbon footprint
Customer adoption across construction and transportation applications
Further use of bio-circular feedstocks in polyurethane products
Expansion of ISCC PLUS-certified production
Additional collaboration between Covestro and puren
The commercial launch will be particularly important in determining how quickly the new approach can translate into broader market adoption.
Conclusion
Covestro and puren have taken another step toward improving the sustainability profile of purenit® through ISCC PLUS certification and the planned use of Covestro's Desmodur® CQ MS binder.
Puren's entire purenit® production at its Obermarchtal site is now certified under ISCC PLUS, providing the basis for using bio-circular attributed raw materials through a mass-balance approach.
At the same time, purenit® already incorporates polyurethane residual materials, giving the product a recovery-based material concept.
The companies plan to introduce the first purenit® product using Desmodur® CQ MS in 2027. While the exact reduction in carbon footprint has not yet been disclosed, the development represents another example of how recycled materials, alternative feedstocks and certified supply chains can be combined in industrial products.
For the polyurethane and insulation industries, the project highlights the growing role of circularity, mass-balance certification and lower-carbon raw materials in the development of next-generation materials.
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