Polyurethanes are an essential part of modern society. While often unseen, they help our daily lives across a wide range of industries.
We use polyurethanes in one form or another every day – at home, in our places of work and vehicles, for sport and leisure activities and on holiday.
One of the main applications of polyurethane is insulation.
In the EU, more than 40% of fossil fuel-based energy (and CO2 emissions) is associated with the heating and cooling of buildings. Polyurethane is an excellent insulator for building applications, domestics, commercial refrigerators, freezers and in truck and container bodies. Polyurethanes are therefore crucial to the EU meeting it climate goals of a net-zero emissions Europe by 2050.
Polyurethanes can be tailored to be either rigid or flexible. Along with insulation, it is the material of choice for a broad range of end-user applications such as:
- Cushioning for furniture
- Mattresses
- Car parts
- Coatings
- Adhesives
- Rollers and tyres
- Composite wood panels
- Shoe soles
- Sportswear
Polyurethanes are versatile, modern and safe. They are used in a wide variety of applications to create all manner of consumer and industrial products that play a crucial role in making our lives more convenient, comfortable and environmentally friendly.