We all know PU foam is a tough and lightweight material whose closed-cell structure makes it an excellent thermal insulator. But these properties also make PU a paradoxical material in terms of sustainability. On the one hand, international policy and public opinion are increasingly strident about eliminating the use of all fossil fuel-derived materials, or substituting them with renewable alternatives in order to minimise CO2 release and slow the rate of global warming. This trend could lead to eliminating or substituting PU in its manifold applications. On the other hand, the greenest energy is energy that you don't use, so it could be that retaining some fossil-based materials is more eco-friendly than eliminating them altogether, at least in the nearterm, particularly if the life cycles of these extant fossil materials can be closed through reuse and recycling.
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