Covestro produces first sports flooring using CO2

In Germany, the world’s first synthetic sports subfloor was produced with carbon dioxide by Covestro using their groundbreaking process for CO2 utilization to market maturity. The CO2 for the subfloor is contained in a binder – or more precisely, in one of its components, a polyol. So far, the new CO2-based material called cardyon has been used to produce soft polyurethane foam for mattresses and upholstered furniture, which is already being marketed. The further development for use in sports is now the next step in the expansion of the range of applications.

“The use of carbon dioxide as a new raw material is a promising approach for making production in the chemical and plastics industries more sustainable,” explains Dr. Markus Steilemann, CEO of Covestro. “This way, we use CO2 in a closed-loop process and save oil. On this basis, we want to offer a comprehensive product portfolio for as many areas of application as possible – in line with our vision of making the world a brighter place.”

The first customer for the new binder produced with CO2 is the globally active sports flooring producer Polytan. The company from Burgheim, Bavaria, which belongs to the Sport Group, uses the material to produce elastic underfloors together with rubber granulate.

The first CO2-based floor is now in use at the “Crefelder Hockey and Tennis Club”. The traditional club maintains one of the leading field hockey facilities in Germany.