Polyurethanes are extremely versatile materials that we could no longer live without. They are used in a wide range of products such as automotive fenders, upholstered furniture, lightweight, flexible shoe soles, paints and textile coatings, and as high-performance insulants in refrigerators and energy-saving passive houses. 
Around 10.5 million tons of polyurethane raw materials were produced world-wide in 2005. One of the main applications for polyurethanes is flexible foams for comfort applications, namely upholstery, mattresses and automotive seats. Around 4.5 million metric tons of polyurethane raw materials were used worldwide in 2005 for the production of flexible foams.