Ørsted: Powering Covestro’s Operations with 100% Renewables

Across industries, companies are doing what they can to accelerate their journey to net zero — both for the benefit of their business and the planet.

Amazon is a prime example, powering its operations with 100% renewable energy seven years early and being both Europe and the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy.

And in food and beverages, Heineken is working with French energy giant ENGIE to propel the brewery’s net zero journey, focusing on Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

Joining the ranks is leading global manufacturer of high-quality polymer materials, Covestro. 

By working with Danish energy multinational Ørsted, Covestro has achieved a major milestone in its journey towards climate-neutral production.

Ørsted and Covestro: Embracing renewable energy

Thanks to this collaboration, four of Covestro’s US sites now run entirely on renewable electricity.

All these facilities have achieved net zero Scope 2 emissions for electricity, with the South Deerfield, New Martinsville and Pittsburgh sites now having achieved complete net zero Scope 2 emissions. 

Through a virtual Power Purchase Agreement (vPPA), Covestro has secured 90MW of renewable energy capacity, primarily from the Mockingbird Solar Center in Texas. 

This agreement is expected to reduce Covestro's annual CO₂ emissions by around 90,000 tons.

“Even in a persistently challenging market environment, we are working towards our goal of climate-neutral production by 2035 and are consistently implementing our strategy of fully aligning ourselves with the circular economy,” says Thorsten Dreier, CTO of Covestro. 

“By leveraging renewable energy, we’re not just reducing our carbon footprint — we’re actively shaping a brighter future for our industry.”

Covestro’s sustainability goals

Covestro has set out a comprehensive strategy for meeting a variety of sustainability goals.

“Our partnership with Ørsted is a prime example of how collaboration and innovation can drive meaningful change in our industry,” says Samir Hifri, Chairman and President of Covestro. 

“We're proud to be at the forefront of sustainable practices in the chemical sector and look forward to continuing to execute our strategy to grow sustainably in the US.”

Its sustainability goals include:

• Reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions to net zero by 2023
• Achieving net zero Scope 3 emissions by 2050
• Improving the living conditions of 10m people in underserved markets, primarily in developing and emerging countries, by the year 2025
• Creating a more circular economy, driving sustainably and increasing carbon productivity by continually using fewer carbon-based fossil resources, taking a regenerative approach and closing material loops
• To use 100% alternative raw materials — part of its circular economy pursuit — in a bid to continue reducing Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions
• Cut specific primary energy usage by at least 50% at all material production sites by 2030
• Women to account for at least 40% of the workforce in all employee categories by 2029.

How Ørsted is powering sustainability

As a global leader in wind, Ørsted is significantly contributing to the advancement of renewables.

Its roots however are steeped in oil and gas, and in recent decades the company has transformed itself into the world’s largest offshore wind energy producer.

Specialising in offshore wind development, Ørsted is actively investing in various renewable energy sources like onshore wind, solar and green hydrogen, while simultaneously driving down the cost of offshore wind technology.

This is key in ensuring renewable energy becomes more accessible and cost-effective for other sectors to adopt.

Ørsted has formed a number of strategic partnerships to promote sustainable manufacturing practices in the renewable energy sector, including:

• Low-carbon steel production: Ørsted partnered with Vestas to procure low-carbon steel wind turbine towers for all joint offshore wind projects, with the aim to reduce emissions from tower production by up to 70%
• Sustainable cable production: The company procured low-carbon copper cables for the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm in the UK, reducing emissions from high-voltage power cables by nearly 50%
• Green service vessels: Ørsted signed a contract with ESVAGT for a second green service operation vessel, promoting sustainable practices in offshore wind farm maintenance

“Ørsted was once one of the most coal-intensive energy companies in Europe,” the company says. “Today, we’re ranked the world’s most sustainable energy company and are global leaders in the transition to green energy.

“Our business transformation is a story of technological innovation, steep learning curves and difficult strategic choices that have led to long-term gains. 

“We want to share what we’ve learnt, from our decision to move away from an unsustainable business model based on fossil fuels, to the action we took to build a truly green business — and the benefits and opportunities it's created for us.”

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