Evonik transitions PU-additive production to green electricity

Essen, Germany. Evonik is making further strides in its sustainability journey with the conversion of its remaining PU-additive production assets across the globe to green electricity. The entire Comfort & Insulation business line’s global polyurethane (PU) production footprint now runs on green electricity.

Evonik’s transition to green electricity for both its amine and silicone platforms, as well as its smaller PU-additive production sites ranging from Hopewell, USA to Isehara, Japan, underscores the company’s commitment to sustainable production practices and emission reduction. As part of its sustainability strategy, Evonik is committed to achieving a 25% reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, and the company also aims to be climate-neutral by 2050.

By enhancing production efficiency and capabilities while prioritizing sustainability, Evonik reinforces its position as a reliable long-term partner to the polyurethane industry, effectively addressing evolving customer demand in markets including automotive, construction, coatings, furniture, and consumer goods.

“Our amine and silicone platforms are the backbone of our portfolio offering, so converting them to green electricity is a significant milestone,” said Roberto Vila-Keller, Head of the Comfort & Insulation business line.  “With all PU-additive sites utilizing renewable electricity sources, and our continued work to reduce fossil-based raw materials, we are directly addressing our customers’ increasing demand for more sustainable solutions and a greener future for the PU industry.”

The conversion to green electricity is made possible through both green certificates and renewable electricity supply agreements known as Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), which have been helping to provide a secure and stable supply of renewable energy at the sites for a number of years now. For example, the German Wittenburg release agent site has been utilizing renewable electricity agreements since early 2022.

“I’m very proud of the work of our teams have done across all PU-additives production and shared asset plants to run on renewable energy,” said Chad Henneke, Head of Production and Technology Comfort & Insulation. “We are dedicated to environmental stewardship and footprint reduction by pioneering production methods that support our customers’ businesses, while also contributing positively to the environment.”