look what we did!Innovations From Polyurethane Manufacturers

Covestro’s Chemolysis Pilot Plant Improves Polyurethane Reusability

From the cars we drive to the mattresses we sleep on, polyurethane touches upon multiple aspects of day-to-day living — helping make the products we regularly use more comfortable, durable, efficient and safe. As the role of polyurethane in daily life becomes more ubiquitous, polyurethane suppliers are working on different ways of creating a circular polyurethane supply chain — one in which the need for new fossil-based raw materials becomes less and less. In a circular supply chain, existing materials are recycled at the end of a product’s life so that they can be used in new products.

One manufacturer...

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A Polyurethane Hose Can Help Enhance Your Garden

Frequent readers of this blog know that polyurethane is a familiar sight in your family’s garden. But did you also know your garden hose — the one object perhaps most vital to maintaining a successful yard — can be  made up polyurethane as well? The humble hose has gone through many iterations since it was first invented nearly 400 years ago. Over the centuries, the material used to manufacture hoses has gone from stitched leather and canvas to today’s more modern polyurethane or rubber offerings. For all the competing materials that exist, a polyurethane garden hose remains a great option for...

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Polyurethane Helps Shoe Manufacturers Reach their Sustainability Goals

Many footwear companies have pledged to reduce waste and their carbon footprint over the coming years. Several have turned to polyurethane to achieve innovative solutions that can help them reach their sustainability goals to accomplish this task.

Shoes Made Solely from Polyurethane

Several footwear brands are now in the business of creating shoes made entirely from polyurethane. Balenciaga, for example, has introduced a shoe called the Zen sneaker. Touted as a leather alternative, the shoe is constructed entirely from polyurethane. 

Simplifying the Supply Chain

On average, most athletic shoes are made using a dozen or more materials. This production process...

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Polyurethane Vertical Gardens Are the Must-Have Architectural Feature

Striking, eco-friendly, and quickly becoming a fixture in buildings and homes across the world, vertical gardens — made using polyurethane — are the new architectural must-have indoor and outdoor feature for homeowners and businesses everywhere.

A vertical garden — also called a green wall or a living wall — generally consists of plants, stacked vertically on a wall, giving the effect of a living wall of plants. The wall can be just a few feet or several stories high and can vary significantly in width. Some vertical gardens extend the entire range of a large atrium space; others are only...

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After the Storm, Polyurethane Snowplows Help Cities Dig Out

During this time of year, many parts of the country experience freezing weather. With plunging temperatures often comes snowfall. Whole cities can grind to a halt under accumulated snow as they wait for teams of small but dedicated crews to dig them out. When winter storms happen, every moment counts. Snowplow drivers often work round-the-clock, relying on equipment made from polyurethane to get the job done. 

Polyurethane Is Highly Customizable

Snowplows and blades — a strip of material running along the length of a metal snowplow — have several advantages when made with polyurethane. Polyurethane is highly customizable; parts made...

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Polyurethane Stories That Made Headlines in 2019

Polyurethane Modular Homes

At the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season, Astrid Diaz, a Puerto Rico-based architect, announced her plans for a new polyurethane-based modular home. Her designs consist of polyurethane foam walls and a roof, reinforced with a steel frame, then covered with mortar. The homes — which can withstand winds of up to 184 miles per hour — blend in well with the existing architecture of similar structures that populate the island where there was a need for an estimated 75,000 homes in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

In spring,...

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Looking for a Career Path with Promise? PU May Be Right for You!

If you’re one of the 80 percent of students who change their declared major or begin their college careers undeclared, listen up: a future in polyurethane may be right for you. The polyurethane industry is poised for growth over the next few decades and, as mentioned before in this blog, polyurethane is an essential contributor to the U.S. economy in ways that reverberate throughout the supply chain. 

There are several options for you to consider as you look to embark upon a viable and rewarding career:

Research & Development

Are you an idea person willing to work tirelessly to get...

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Polyurethane Helps Safeguard Food Supply

As breakthroughs in agriculture and farming help to feed a growing global population, polyurethane spray foam (SPF) insulation is doing its part to house crops and livestock and doing so in a more sustainable way.

SPF is one of the most efficient and readily available forms of insulation for agricultural and livestock buildings around the world. It helps maintain consistent temperatures in the cold of winter, stand up to excessive heat in summer and even delivers a layer of protection against moisture, pests and insects.

Here are just a few of the ways SPF insulation is helping farmers house our...

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Researchers Grow Food in Polyurethane Foam

Could plants grown in polyurethane foam be key to helping solve the world’s food crisis? Experts from the new Institute for Sustainable Food at the University of Sheffield in England seem to think so. A group of researchers there has found that certain crops planted in polyurethane foam grow two to 10 times faster than plants grown in traditional soil.

How Do Plants Grow?

The polyurethane foam in which the plants are grown is treated with nutrients delivered via a network of pipes in a controlled environment. Today, researchers have successfully grown everything from salad greens to tomatoes in the polyurethane...

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