BASF Expands Climate-friendly Portfolio With First Zero-carbon Isocyanate

Lupranat® ZERO M 70 R successfully certified by TÜV NORD

A major step towards a sustainable polyurethane value chain

On February 14, BASF’s official website announced that BASF has launched the first aromatic isocyanate with no greenhouse gas emissions, Lupranat® ZERO, continuing to expand its diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) product portfolio.

Lupranat® ZERO is zero-carbon and renewable. After accounting, its "cradle-to-gate" product carbon footprint (PCF) is zero. This means that the product does not generate CO2 emissions from the source until it leaves the company for delivery to the customer, including product-related greenhouse gas emissions and bio-based carbon in the product. In this process, BASF does not use offset certificates, but uses renewable raw materials at the beginning of the chemical production chain and distributes these raw materials through a mass balance method to achieve zero carbon emissions. In addition, BASF uses certified renewable energy in the production of this product.

(According to the ISO14067 standard, "cradle-to-gate" considerations also include biological genetic assimilation. The carbon footprint of a "cradle-to-gate" product will be considered in all processes from resource extraction, precursor manufacturing, finished product manufacturing until the finished product leaves the company's door. Inside.)

Previously, TÜV Nord has successfully completed the verification of product carbon footprint calculation for Lupranat ZERO. Delia Carls, Auditor of TÜV NORD, said: “We have examined the product carbon footprint calculation data for the Lupranat ZERO M 70 R in detail and are delighted to be able to confirm such data for the first time.” The Lupranat ZERO will be available in the second quarter of 2022.

Dr. Ramkumar Dhruva, President of BASF's Monomer Business Unit, said: "Climate protection is becoming more and more important for our customers. By providing reliable data on the carbon dioxide footprint of our products, we help our customers achieve their climate goals. .With Lupranat ZERO, our customers can make a quantifiable reduction in their CO2 footprint and make a positive contribution to climate protection while using the same high-quality product."

Lupranat ZERO will initially be applied to Lupranat M 70 R for the production of MDI polyisocyanurate panels (also known as PIR or polyiso) and rigid polyurethane foams for the construction industry. These rigid foam boards are very durable and can be used for insulation. BASF initially introduced zero carbon emissions features for the Lupranat M 70 R, with other Lupranat modifications to follow in the future.

BASF has set itself an even more ambitious climate target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 compared to 2018 levels. The carbon footprint of each BASF product will play an important role in this, providing the necessary transparency for greenhouse gas emissions data.

BASF has also determined MDI's product carbon footprint based on actual energy and raw material consumption in 2021, which is now available to customers. In addition, products produced from renewable raw materials, such as Lupranat® BMB, and products produced from recycled raw materials, such as Lupranat® cCycled, are included in BASF's MDI portfolio, making a positive contribution to building a sustainable polyurethane value chain.