This year’s Polyurethanes Technical Conference featured nearly 700 attendees from across the value chain, 15 technical sessions, 18 posters, 34 exhibitors and 70 presentations. Keynote speaker, Curtis Dubay, Chief Economist at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, discussed the latest statistics and trends on consumer spending, employment, wages and other relevant topics affecting the U.S. economy.
2025 Polycon Wrap-Up
Inaugural Women in PU Luncheon Success
This year featured the first-ever Women in PU Luncheon on the conference’s second day. Four trailblazers, Mary Bogdan from Honeywell; Alison Keane from the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA) & Mattress Recycling Council (MRC); Dr. Jean Vincent from Evonik; and Lisa Massaro-Kustuch from DuPont – shared their career experiences, triumphs and insights within the polyurethanes industry to a full room of attendees.
CPI Celebrates Polyurethane Innovators with Top Industry Awards
Polyurethane Innovation Award
Algenesis Labs Announced as Winner of the 2025 Innovation Award
The competition for the 2025 Polyurethane Innovation Award highlighted the latest technologies within the industry over the past two years. Each finalist presented at the opening session, and presentations were scored by an expert technical panel and voted on by conference attendees.
The Polyurethane Innovation Award showcases the role that innovation plays in the polyurethanes industry and recognizes companies and individuals whose vision and perseverance bring new products, technologies, and initiatives to the marketplace.
"We are deeply honored to receive the 2025 Polyurethane Innovation Award for Soleic®. This recognition validates our mission to create high-performance materials that not only meet the needs of industry but also safeguard our planet,” said Stephen Mayfield, CEO of Algenesis Labs. “At Algenesis, we believe science can solve the problem of persistent plastics, and this award is a testament to the hard work and passion of our team and partners who share this vision. Together, we’re proving that sustainability and performance can go hand in hand, paving the way toward a cleaner, more resilient future."
Distinguished Leadership Award
David Mullen of Huntsman Announced as Recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Leadership Award
CPI established the Distinguished Leadership Award to recognize individuals who have provided outstanding leadership and advanced the goals of CPI as well as the interests of the industry.
David Mullen has worked in the polyurethanes industry for more than 35 years and currently serves as Senior Process Chemist at Huntsman’s Geismar manufacturing site in Louisiana, specializing in isocyanate and polyols analysis.
David’s numerous contributions to CPI include nearly 25 years of participation in CPI’s Polyurethane Raw Materials Analysis (PRAMA) work group, including 14 years as chair from 2011 through 2024. CPI’s PRAMA work group works to standardize testing methods across the polyurethanes value chain, supporting 30 ASTM raw material standards and promoting harmonization with 11 ISO methods. In addition, David co-developed and continues to co-instruct CPI’s Professional Development course, PU 201: “The Myth and the Magic,” launched in 2003.
Algenesis Labs: “Soleic® is a novel polyurethane technology that meets the performance demands of traditional polyurethane applications while solving one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time: microplastics. Soleic® polyols are USDA BioPreferred certified at 100% biocontent. They are made from renewable, plant-based raw materials that do not compete with food or contribute to deforestation. At end-of-life, Soleic® is designed to fully biodegrade in compost, soil, and marine environments, breaking down into CO₂ and biomass instead of persisting in ecosystems.”
ICP: “HandiFoam® E84 Spray Foam Insulation is a low-pressure, two-component spray polyurethane foam system engineered to maximize efficiency and reduce labor costs while delivering seamless, uniform coverage for air sealing and energy efficiency. Using next-generation HFO technology, HandiFoam® E84 is formulated for reliable application in a variety of seasonal conditions and offers industry-leading foam dimensional stability along with consistent reactivity and insulation performance throughout its 24-month shelf life.”
2025 Paper & Poster Winners
Each year, CPI recognizes the best technical paper presentations and posters presented at the conference. This year, 10 technical papers and 4 posters were selected by our judges as the best of their session or category.
2025 Best Paper Winners
- Automotive: Sustainability and VOCs - Ellen Lee of Ford Motor Company for Use of Captured CO2 for Production of Sustainable Polyurethane Foams in Automotive Applications
- CASE: Coatings and Binders - Dora Strelkova of University of Windsor for Eliminating Operator-Induced Variability in Tensile Testing via Automated Specimen Handling and Data Acquisition
- CASE: Renewable - Hooman Torabi of Huntsman for Biodegradable Controlled Release Fertilizer
- Chemistry - Cheng Hao of the University of Toronto for Lignin-Derived Flame Retardant for Enhancing Fire Safety of Polyurethanes
- Construction - Timothy Chafee of Wanhua Chemical (America) Co., Ltd for Production Solution for NAF Grade Particleboard with pMDI as Binder
- Flexible Foam - Chris Thiede of Dow for Insights From Dow’s ComfortScience™ Studio: Softness Effects
- Rigid Foam - Sam Kempel of Evonik Corporation for Facilitate Solids Handling in Rigid PU Foam with Our Tailored ORTEGOL® DA Dispersing Agents
- Spray Foam - Rockford Boyer of Elastochem for Comparison of Carbon Footprint of Spray Polyurethane Foam Building Enclosures with Non-Foam Alternatives
- Sustainable/Recycling - Diane Langer of Huntsman for Recycling MDI-based Polyurethane Foams with Split-Phase Hydroglycolosis
- Sustainable/Renewable - Andrew Shinko of ICP Group for Green is Growing: Bio-Based Materials in HFO-Blown Low Pressure Foam
2025 Best Poster Winners
- CASE - Shun Okura of Kuraray America, Inc. for 2K non-solvent PU Adhesives for Thermal Interface Material (TIM) Applications Made with 3-Methy-1,5-Pentanediol Based Polyols
- Chemistry - George Kwiatkowski of Gantrade Corporation for CAEE Chain Extender: Advancing Polyurethane Elastomers with Enhanced Strength and Processability
- Construction - Rockford Boyer of Elastochem for Closed-Cell Spray Polyurethane Foam: Insights from Embodied Carbon Research
- Industry Impact - Jane Kniss of Evonik Corporation for Enabling New Circular Solutions for Chemical Recycling of Polyurethane Flexible Foam