How Covestro is Making Chemical Transport Sustainable

Covestro, a leading global manufacturer of polymers, is taking steps to boost the sustainability of its operations.

Through a strategic partnership with logistics specialist DB Cargo BTT, Covestro is transforming its supply chain, particularly focusing on operations within Poland.

Here, large amounts of methylene diphenyl isocyanate (MDI), a crucial chemical component used across various polyurethane applications such as building insulation and refrigeration, are transported regularly.

DB Cargo BTT lends its expertise by providing Covestro with an integrated transport solution bolstered by several sustainable practices.

"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.”

Improving supply chain sustainability

Covestro's approach starts with the transportation of chemicals in tank containers from German production sites to a local railway terminal using trucks powered by biofuel — a sustainable alternative to fossil diesel.

These containers are then transferred by rail to a distribution centre in Poland, substantially reducing road traffic and the associated emissions.

The trucks re-enter the stage to deliver the chemicals to final customers in Poland.

This multi-modal transport method results in at least a 70% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to traditional road transports, scalable to meet growing business demands.

This strategy not only supports Covestro’s goal to reach climate neutrality by 2050 but also reinforces its commitment to customers 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.”

How the Polish Selena Group is pursuing circularity

The Polish Selena Group, a prominent player in the construction and chemical manufacturing sector in Poland, benefits from this revamped supply system.

Covestro supplies it with MDI, which now arrives with a smaller carbon footprint, thus reducing Scope 3 emissions — a classification that tracks indirect emissions in a company’s value chain.

"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," says Bernd Hennig, Head of Trading Cluster MDI at Covestro.

The companies have collaborated in developing advanced polyurethane (PU) foams for better thermal insulation in buildings, which are constituted from eco-friendly MDI of the Desmodur CQ product range.

These foams, certified by ISCC Plus, utilise plant-based resources via mass balancing and have a considerably reduced carbon footprint compared to those derived from fossil fuels.

Thanks to Covestro, these foams are delivered to Selena in an incrementally sustainable manner.

“Today, sustainable business no longer means having to compromise between efficiency and quality," continues Michal Specjalski, Member of the Management Board of Product and Innovation at Selena Group.

“In Selena Group we are constantly increasing our commitment to the development of sustainable construction.

"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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