Covestro India Launches Breakthrough Polyurethane Recycling Project with CSIR-NCL New Technology Targets Waste Crisis

Covestro (India) and India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) have signed an MoU to develop next-generation recycling solutions for polyurethane (PU) materials, aiming to overcome persistent industry bottlenecks. This ambitious CSR project will pioneer advanced methods to transform PU waste into high-value chemical feedstocks, targeting both environmental impact and commercial viability.

Current mechanical and chemical recycling approaches for polyurethane often struggle with degraded material quality, high energy demands, and limited applicability. Covestro and CSIR-NCL’s collaboration will focus on innovative chemo-electrochemical strategies to dramatically improve recycling efficiency and expand the range of PU materials that can be processed.

Avinash Bagdi, Head of Customized PU Business at Covestro India, highlighted the company’s commitment to a fully circular economy, stating that this initiative will help transform waste challenges into opportunities for sustainable growth. CSIR-NCL Director Dr. Ashish Lele emphasized that the project could redefine global plastic waste management by turning hard-to-recycle PU into valuable chemical resources.

Polyurethane’s complex cross-linked structure makes it one of the most difficult plastics to recycle, with most post-consumer PU ending up in landfills despite its widespread use in furniture, automotive parts, and insulation. This partnership brings together Covestro’s industry expertise and CSIR-NCL’s world-class research capabilities, setting a new benchmark for sustainable innovation in polymer recycling.