Covestro & DB Cargo Drive Sustainable Polymer Transportation

Covestro, a global manufacturer of Polymer is seeking to enhance the sustainability of its supply chain by partnering with logistics expert DB Cargo BTT. 

Their work has centred on Covestro's supply chain to and within Poland due to large quantities of methylene diphenyl isocyanate (MDI) being transported into the country. The chemical raw material used in a variety of polyurethane materials, including the thermal insulation of refrigerators and buildings.

DB Cargo BTT is providing Covestro with an end-to-end transport system as part of their partnership augmented with a list of key sustainable features. 

"The entire value chain must be involved to achieve our joint goal of climate neutrality by 2050," says Hanno Bruemmer, Head of Supply Chain and Logistics EMLA at Covestro.

"Reliable, efficient and sustainable logistics for our ever more sustainable products are integral to this effort. We collaborate with our customers and transport companies to optimise the supply chain.

"This includes improving load capacity, selecting the best transport modes and routes, and introducing using sustainable and future-oriented energy sources like green electricity or HVO to replace fossil fuels.”

A more sustainable supply chain

The first feature is the decision to transport the chemicals in tank containers from the production sites of Covestro in Germany to a local railway terminal using bio-fuel driven trucks – one of the most sustainable alternatives to fossil diesel fuel. 

Then, tank containers are taken to a distribution centre in Poland via rail, keeping trucks off the road and saving emissions.

After this, the trucks are again deployed to distribute the chemicals to end customers in Poland.

Taking such an approach to transportation saves at least 70% of CO2 emissions compared to conventional road transport methods and is designed to be flexibly scaled to accommodate expanding business needs. 

With Covestro aiming to become climate neutral by 2050, the decision both helps and sends a critical message to customers of Covestro like the Polish Selena Group. 

 “At DB Cargo BTT, we also rely on working with external partners across all modes of transport in order to arrange traction or first and last mile services as efficiently as possible for our customers," says Torsten Lüders, Managing Director of DB Cargo.

"For Covestro, we have recently transported essential chemical products to Poland and we’re now happy to combine our rail expertise with bio-fuel-driven trucks for the first and last mile.

"This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to enabling more sustainable supply chains and supporting the transformation of the chemical industry. Projects like these demonstrate how we, as part of the DB Cargo group, offer our customers a significant degree of added value and are an essential part of European supply chains.”

The Polish Selena Group and pursuing circularity

The Polish Selena Group is a leading manufacturer of construction materials and chemicals. 

Covestro provides it with methylene diphenyl isocyanate (MDI), which now can be delivered with a lower carbon footprint, resulting in reduced Scope 3 emissions. 

"Together with Selena Group, we are committed to advancing sustainable solutions across the entire value chain, offering our valued customers not only more sustainable materials but also sustainable transportation solutions," adds Bernd Hennig, Head of Trading Cluster MDI at Covestro.

Covestro is strongly invested in collaboratively enhancing circularity, inspiring further ventures with the Polish Selena Group.

Both companies have worked together to develop superior polyurethane (PU) foams for improved thermal insulation in buildings which are based on MDI of the Desmodur CQ product range.

These ISCC Plus-certified foams use plant-based raw materials created through mass balancing, resulting in a significantly lower carbon footprint than fossil derived raw materials. 

Thanks to Covestro, these foams can be delivered to Selena in an even more sustainable manner.

“Today, sustainable business no longer means having to compromise between efficiency and quality. In Selena Group we are constantly increasing our commitment to the development of sustainable construction," continues Michal Specjalski, Member of the Management Board of Product and Innovation at Selena Group.

"We carefully follow trends and changes in the world around us and we are constantly working on minimising our environmental impact and rational resource management. That’s why we're delighted to have Covestro and DB Cargo BTT at our side as strong partners who share our commitment to reducing emissions and achieving climate neutrality targets in Europe and worldwide.”

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