Lemförde, Germany – BASF has been awarded ISCC Plus certification for biomass-balanced thermoplastic polyurethane production at its site in Lemförde. It has also successfully completed REDcert2 recertification there for various thermoplastics and PU systems.
By taking a mass balance approach, the company can replace fossil resources with renewable and recycled raw materials in its Verbund production set-up. The formulation and quality of the end products remain unchanged, but they have a lower CO2 footprint. As an example, Elastollan 1185 A FCI, used for films and hoses in sensitive applications such as food contact or medical engineering, can now be offered as a product variant certified according to ISCC Plus.
“With this drop-in solution, our customers receive a product with a reduced CO2 footprint compared to conventional materials, without requiring any technical changes on their part,” said Artur Pfeif, product manager for TPU at BASF Performance Materials in Europe. “Reducing the need of fossil resources and greenhouse gas emissions are highly relevant for today’s producers and consumers.”
The European standard REDcert2 ensures renewable resources are correctly allocated within the company’s value chain. Both this and ISCC Plus are awarded after on-site audits by independent auditors.
When claiming sustainability attributes for a product, the traceability of any renewable or recycled raw materials they contain must be proved as part of the mass balance certification process. “With this important step, complete transparency regarding high sustainability requirements can be achieved across the entire value chain, [and] also for our customers,” said Eileen Orlich, sustainability manager at BASF Performance Materials Europe.
