September 23, 2026 — Covestro has introduced a new polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (pMDI) grade in Europe that is designed to help polyurethane manufacturers reduce the carbon footprint of their raw materials. The new Desmodur® ClimateValue (CV) has a product carbon footprint (PCF) approximately 25% lower than comparable standard Desmodur® grades used in insulation applications.
Covestro attributes the reduction to a combination of measures across production and the supply chain, including the use of renewable energy, process improvements, higher production efficiency and supply-chain decarbonization. The reported PCF has been assessed using a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment methodology verified by TÜV Rheinland.
Desmodur® CV is now commercially available to pMDI customers supplied from Covestro's production sites in Germany.
A Lower-Carbon Option for Existing PU Production
One of the practical features of Desmodur® CV is that manufacturers can use it within existing production processes. According to Covestro, the new grade is designed to be compatible with existing formulations and manufacturing processes, allowing customers to explore a lower-carbon raw-material option without redesigning their production setup.
This is particularly relevant for manufacturers working toward Scope 3 emissions reductions. Purchased raw materials can form an important part of a company's upstream emissions profile, meaning that changes in material sourcing can contribute to broader carbon-reduction programs.
Bernd Hennig, Head of Trading Cluster MDI EMLA at Covestro, said the product was developed to provide customers with a commercially available option for addressing climate targets while maintaining established manufacturing processes.
Rather than requiring a completely new production technology, the approach focuses on reducing emissions associated with an established chemical raw material.
Where pMDI Is Used in Insulation
pMDI is widely used in the production of rigid polyurethane foam, a material found in building insulation boards, metal-faced sandwich panels and refrigeration equipment.
Rigid PU foam is valued for its thermal insulation properties and is used across both construction and appliance applications. As manufacturers work to improve the environmental performance of these products, attention is increasingly extending beyond energy efficiency during use to the emissions associated with the materials used to make them.
For insulation manufacturers, this creates an opportunity to examine carbon emissions at several stages of the value chain. Raw materials are one part of that calculation, alongside manufacturing energy, transportation, product use and end-of-life treatment.
A lower-PCF pMDI can therefore contribute to reducing the upstream carbon intensity of MDI-based polyurethane systems, although the effect on the final product will depend on its specific formulation and production conditions.
Understanding the 25% Reduction
The 25% figure refers to the product carbon footprint of Desmodur® CV at the raw-material level, rather than a 25% reduction in the total carbon footprint of every product manufactured with it.
Covestro's assessment uses a cradle-to-gate system boundary. This covers emissions associated with the production of the material up to the point where it leaves the manufacturing system. It does not cover all emissions generated during the subsequent manufacture, use and disposal of a finished product.
This distinction is important when manufacturers use PCF data in their own sustainability calculations.
For example, replacing a conventional pMDI with a lower-PCF alternative could reduce the raw-material contribution to an insulation panel's carbon footprint. However, the final reduction would depend on factors such as the quantity of pMDI used, other components in the formulation, production energy and transportation.
The independent verification of the assessment by TÜV Rheinland provides an additional layer of transparency around the reported PCF value.
How the Lower PCF Is Achieved
Covestro says several decarbonization measures contribute to the lower carbon footprint of Desmodur® CV.
Renewable energy can reduce emissions associated with energy consumption during production. Improvements to manufacturing processes and production efficiency can further reduce the amount of energy and resources required per unit of product.
The company is also addressing emissions beyond its own manufacturing operations through supply-chain decarbonization.
Taken together, these measures illustrate how carbon reduction in the chemical industry increasingly involves multiple stages of the value chain rather than a single production adjustment.
For downstream manufacturers, this can be particularly relevant because changes made by raw-material suppliers can contribute to reductions in the emissions associated with purchased materials.
Carbon Footprint Data Is Becoming More Important
The launch of Desmodur® CV comes as manufacturers face growing demand for measurable environmental information about the materials they purchase.
Product carbon footprint data can help companies understand the emissions associated with individual raw materials and incorporate this information into their broader environmental assessments.
The trend is particularly relevant to the European construction sector. The revised EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive places greater emphasis on the life-cycle environmental performance of buildings, including the global warming potential associated with construction.
This means that material suppliers are increasingly expected to provide environmental data that can be used further down the value chain.
For polyurethane producers and insulation manufacturers, reliable PCF information can therefore become part of both product development and procurement decisions.
A Different Approach from Desmodur® CQ
Desmodur® CV also expands the sustainability options available within Covestro's Desmodur® portfolio.
The company already offers Desmodur® CQ, which uses attributed alternative raw materials to address circularity and the use of alternative feedstocks.
The two product approaches target different environmental objectives. Desmodur® CV focuses on lowering the product carbon footprint, while Desmodur® CQ is associated with circular raw-material strategies.
For customers, this means sustainability considerations can be matched to different priorities rather than relying on a single solution for every application.
What the New pMDI Grade Means for the Polyurethane Industry
The introduction of Desmodur® ClimateValue reflects a broader development in the chemical industry: sustainability is increasingly being incorporated into the technical specifications and sourcing decisions for commercial raw materials.
For polyurethane manufacturers, the ability to introduce a lower-PCF material without fundamentally changing existing production processes may reduce some of the practical barriers associated with raw-material decarbonization.
At the same time, manufacturers will need to assess environmental improvements at the finished-product level, rather than treating the PCF of a single raw material as equivalent to the carbon footprint of the final application.
As regulatory requirements, customer expectations and corporate Scope 3 targets continue to increase the demand for measurable carbon reductions, product-level environmental data is likely to become a more important part of chemical supply chains.
Desmodur® ClimateValue represents one example of this transition: decarbonization is moving from a corporate sustainability objective toward commercially available materials that can be incorporated into existing industrial applications.
