Christoph Thiebes
Head of Application Development Adhesives, Covestro
Dr. Christoph Thiebes studied chemistry at the University of Bonn and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he received his Master of Science degree in 1997. After completion of his Ph.D. thesis in organic synthesis at the Technical University of Aachen, he joined Bayer (now Covestro) in 2001 as a research chemist. After assignments in research, manufacturing and global product management, he took over responsibility for application development in the area of raw materials for adhesives in EMEA in 2012.
Safe Use of Polyurethane Based Adhesives and Sealants – Looking Back and Ahead
In October 2016 the German REACH competent authority BAuA published a restriction proposal concerning diisocyanates, providing detailed guidance to further improve the practice of safe handling of diisocyanates in industrial and professional uses. In August 2023 the diisocyanate restriction went into full effect.In parallel, EU-wide maximal occupational exposure limits (OEL) for diisocyanates have been discussed and in February 2023 the Commission has published its proposal with overall and short-term exposure limits, which will now have to be implemented in the national worker protection legislation of member States.These developments have significantly increased the interest in raw materials that enable formulators to provide low monomer and low emission polyurethane adhesives to the market. This presentation will provide a short overview on the use-restriction for diisocyanates and the implementation of the EU BOE levels in national laws and highlight how modern polyurethane raw materials can contribute to adhesive and sealant formulations with a reduced content of diisocyanate monomers.
Co-author: Christos Lecou
Breakout IV – Industry Practices & Perspectives – 11 September 2025 – 14:00 – 14:30 – Room 3