Huntsman donates Center for the Polyurethanes Industry’s Technical Conference booth to University of Delaware

The Woodlands, TX – Huntsman will return to the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry’s annual Polyurethanes Technical Conference this October along with representatives from the University of Delaware, who are sharing the company’s booth space.

This year, Huntsman has donated its exhibition stand to the Center for Plastics Innovation at the University of Delaware, which is on a mission to tackle the challenge of polymer plastic waste. Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Center for Plastics Innovation is developing multi-disciplinary plastics deconstruction and upcycling strategies. Its ambition is to create a data- and systems-driven approach that will facilitate the development of new polymers that will have a more environmentally benign pathway at the end of their life.

Explaining more, David Cranfill, Technology and Innovation Director at Huntsman, said: “Last year we took home the CPI 2021 Polyurethane Innovation Award for our work with Pursell Agri-Tech on PurActive(TM) – a polyurethane-based, controlled-release fertilizer coating that addresses the agronomic needs of crop growers. This year, we wanted to support a university in the host city of the CPI Technical Conference and expose students to the global challenges the polyurethanes industry is addressing today. The University of Delaware’s Center for Plastics Innovation was an obvious choice due to the great work they are doing within the plastics industry. Running in parallel to the existing sustainability efforts of individual companies like Huntsman, its efforts will encourage cross-industry collaboration and the creation of more polymers that can be easily upcycled and saved from landfills and our oceans.”

Professor LaShanda Korley, Director, Center for Plastics Innovation, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Huntsman for sharing its CPI stand space with us. In developing a sustainable future in plastics, we’re conscious of the need to balance demand for lightweight resilient materials, with combating the environmental threats posed by plastic waste. The polyurethanes sector is making strides towards a circular, low carbon economy with companies, like Huntsman, recognizing the role they must play in creating a better future. With many CPI members already on their own sustainability journeys, we look forward to the opportunity to discuss current changes, align future goals, and consider what we can achieve by working together.”

During CPI, Huntsman’s associates will, as always, make an active contribution to the event’s conference proceedings. This year the team is giving six papers on a range of subjects