Covestro

This award recognises a global polymer manufacturer for delivering a singular emissions‑reduction project that directly accelerates its pathway to operational climate neutrality. In March 2025, Covestro commissioned the NAUCI project at its Baytown, Texas site, which reduces greenhouse‑gas emissions from its nitric‑acid unit by up to 99%. This single intervention cut 60% of the site’s overall Scope 1 emissions, eliminating roughly 195,000 tonnes of CO₂e annually, and when combined with previous abatement projects, the Baytown site now delivers an annual reduction of nearly 900,000 tonnes of CO₂e.

The project was implemented solely for its environmental benefit – not for commercial return – demonstrating that deep industrial decarbonisation requires dedicated capital allocation beyond standard business‑case hurdles. The Baytown project anchors Covestro’s ambition to achieve climate neutrality for its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2035, with its product carbon footprint already among the lowest in the industry. By delivering a replicable, industrial‑scale abatement solution for a historically hard‑to‑abate chemical process, Covestro has proven that even the most emission‑intensive sites can be systematically decarbonised.

For turning a 10‑year decarbonisation research programme into a verifiable, large‑scale emissions cut at a real production facility, Covestro receives this recognition.