BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany) offers an improved process for manufacturing Lupranol (polyether polyol) so that car components made of BASF polyurethane systems emit an average of 20% less aldehyde. The company says this allows automotive suppliers that manufacture acoustic parts, seats and steering wheels or back-foam instrument panels and doors to meet the increasing requirements of car manufacturers and the law for lower VOC (volatile organic compounds) emissions in vehicle interiors. According to BASF, the emissions have been optimized by improving the cleaning and finishing processes of Lupranol in a way that the mechanical properties of the material remain unchanged during the following foam and processing steps. This means that the currently used Lupranol grades can be exchanged immediately; there is no need for elaborate tests or renewed approvals of the PU systems, which are based on these improved polyol grades.