Covestro Powering Four of its US Sites With 100% Renewables

Manufacturers are taking significant steps to accelerate their journey towards net zero — benefiting both their businesses and the planet.

Amazon serves as a prime example, having powered its operations with 100% renewable energy a full seven years ahead of schedule and becoming both Europe’s and the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy.

In the food and beverage sector, Heineken is collaborating with French energy giant ENGIE to advance the brewery’s net zero journey, with a particular focus on Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

Joining these efforts is Covestro, a leading global manufacturer of high-quality polymer materials.

By partnering with Danish energy multinational Ørsted, Covestro has reached a significant milestone in its journey towards climate-neutral production.

The sites powered by 100% renewable energy

As a result of this collaboration, four of Covestro’s US sites now operate entirely on renewable electricity.

All of these facilities have reached net zero Scope 2 emissions for electricity, with the South Deerfield, New Martinsville and Pittsburgh sites now having fully achieved net zero Scope 2 emissions.

Through a virtual Power Purchase Agreement (vPPA), Covestro has secured 90MW of renewable energy capacity, mainly from the Mockingbird Solar Centre in Texas.

This agreement is expected to cut Covestro’s annual CO₂ emissions by approximately 90,000 tonnes.

“Even in a persistently challenging market environment, we are working towards our goal of climate-neutral production by 2035 and are consistently implementing our strategy of fully aligning ourselves with the circular economy,” says Thorsten Dreier, CTO of Covestro. 

“By leveraging renewable energy, we’re not just reducing our carbon footprint — we’re actively shaping a brighter future for our industry.”

Covestro: clear goals for manufacturing sustainability

Covestro has outlined an extensive strategy to achieve a range of sustainability objectives.

“Our partnership with Ørsted is a prime example of how collaboration and innovation can drive meaningful change in our industry,” says Samir Hifri, Chairman and President of Covestro. 

“We're proud to be at the forefront of sustainable practices in the chemical sector and look forward to continuing to execute our strategy to grow sustainably in the US.”

Covestro's sustainability goals are as follows:

• Reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions to net zero by 2023
• Achieving net zero Scope 3 emissions by 2050
• Improving the living conditions of 10 million people in underserved markets, mainly in developing and emerging nations, by 2025
• Promoting a more circular economy, driving sustainability and boosting carbon productivity by reducing the use of carbon-based fossil resources, adopting a regenerative approach and closing material loops
• Using 100% alternative raw materials — a key part of its circular economy goal — to further cut Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions
• Reducing specific primary energy usage by at least 50% at all material production sites by 2030
• Ensuring women make up at least 40% of the workforce across all employee categories by 2029

How ørsted is driving sustainability

As a global leader in wind, Ørsted plays a major role in advancing renewable energy.

Though its origins lie in oil and gas, in recent decades the company has transformed into the world’s largest producer of offshore wind energy.

Specialising in offshore wind development, Ørsted is making significant investments in a range of renewable energy sources, including onshore wind, solar and green hydrogen, while also working to lower the cost of offshore wind technology.

This is crucial in ensuring that renewable energy becomes more accessible and affordable for other sectors to adopt.

Ørsted has formed several strategic partnerships to promote sustainable manufacturing practices in the renewable energy sector, including:

• Low-carbon steel production: Ørsted has partnered with Vestas to source low-carbon steel for wind turbine towers in all joint offshore wind projects, aiming to reduce emissions from tower production by up to 70%
• Sustainable cable production: The company has procured low-carbon copper cables for the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm in the UK, cutting emissions from high-voltage power cables by nearly 50%
• Green service vessels: Ørsted has signed a contract with ESVAGT for a second green service operation vessel, encouraging sustainable practices in offshore wind farm maintenance

“Ørsted was once one of the most coal-intensive energy companies in Europe,” the company says. “Today, we’re ranked the world’s most sustainable energy company and are global leaders in the transition to green energy.

“Our business transformation is a story of technological innovation, steep learning curves and difficult strategic choices that have led to long-term gains. 

“We want to share what we’ve learnt, from our decision to move away from an unsustainable business model based on fossil fuels, to the action we took to build a truly green business — and the benefits and opportunities it's created for us.”

Explore the latest edition of Manufacturing Digital and be part of the conversation at our global conference series, Manufacturing LIVE.

Sign up to our weekly newsletter here.

Discover all our upcoming events and secure your tickets today.

Manufacturing Digital is a BizClik brand.