Climate-Neutral MDIs Adopted! Covestro and Recticel Provide Sustainable Polyurethane Insulation Boards for “Circular Housing”

On the occasion of the 2025 World Green Building Week, Covestro and Recticel announced their contribution to the "Circular House" project of Brightlands Circular Space. This iconic building project in the Netherlands showcases how low-carbon materials can help reduce the environmental footprint of modern construction. Covestro's innovative sustainable raw material Desmodur® CQ MS is used in polyurethane insulation boards produced by Recticel throughout the "Circular House," demonstrating that high-performance polyurethane solutions can drive the development of sustainable buildings.

Fernando Resende, Marketing Manager for the Construction Market in the EMEA-LATAM region at Covestro, stated: "The construction industry accounts for approximately 37% of global carbon dioxide emissions, with about one quarter coming from embodied carbon, such as emissions related to building materials before a building is put into use. This situation needs urgent change. Through our collaboration with Recticel, we are able to offer a highly attractive alternative."

Brightlands Circular Space: Circular Economy Collaboration Platform

This 7,500-square-meter "Circular Residence" will serve as a living laboratory to showcase, co-create, and pilot zero-waste plastic technologies. It integrates all aspects of sustainable design, utilizing innovative materials to reduce both operational and embodied carbon emissions. As part of its mission, the "Circular Residence" is committed to sharing best practices in circular solutions within its experiential space and hosting events that enable Covestro and Recticel to share knowledge of circular building materials with students and industry peers.

Lia Voermans, Chair of the Brightlands Circular Space Steering Committee, stated: "In circular housing, we have chosen to use insulation panels based on more sustainable raw materials to meet the requirements of performance and sustainability. In this way, we have integrated the circular principles of Brightlands Circular Space into the design of our circular plastics demonstration facility, showcasing the potential application of low-carbon materials in practical construction projects."

This building, located in the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Sittard-Geleen, the Netherlands, is an important part of the world’s first open-loop circular plastic demonstration center—Brightlands Circular Space.

Join hands to promote sustainable development.

Covestro has authorized Recticel to use Desmodur® CQ MS in its "Eurothane® Silver Impact" insulation boards, which are currently used in the roofing insulation system of Brightland's "Circular Home." Desmodur® CQ MS is based on climate-neutral diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), produced from bio-circular raw materials, and certified through the mass balance approach. Compared to traditional products, the insulation boards used in the "Circular Home" reduce embodied carbon emissions by 43% while maintaining excellent technical performance and insulation effectiveness.

Benedikt van Roosmalen, Business Manager at Recticel, stated: "The criteria for measuring future buildings cannot be limited to energy efficiency alone. They must focus on embodied carbon emissions, material circularity, and the long-term environmental impact throughout the entire lifecycle. Our collaboration with Covestro has enabled us to create the Eurothane® Silver Impact insulation board, which has a lower carbon footprint compared to traditional insulation boards."