Insulation industry news from Global Insulation
Owens Corning is a Top 10 Corporate Citizen
19 October 2023US: Owens Corning was named among the Top 10 companies on the Best Corporate Citizen list 2023. The list ranks all companies on the Russell 1000 Index by transparency and performance across 184 environmental, social and governance factors. The result represents Owens Corning’s sixth consecutive year as a Top 10 company.
Senior vice president and chief sustainability officer David Rabuano said “This achievement is particularly meaningful as it reinforces the importance of our work and how we do it. This directly speaks to the commitment of our 19,000 employees in support of our mission to build a sustainable future through material innovation.”
US: The National Insulation Association (NIA) has named Armacell, Johns Manville, Knauf Insulation, Owens Corning and Rockwool Technical Insulation as its Premier Industry Manufacturers 2023. The designation celebrates leadership and industry advocacy by NIA members.
NIA executive vice president and CEO Michele Jones said “Congratulations to these five leading companies! Each year, I am impressed by the way these NIA member companies find new, innovative and tangible ways to amplify the message about the power of insulation and their commitment to NIA. These manufacturers are setting themselves apart from the pack by demonstrating the importance of involvement and leadership. We look forward to promoting them all throughout 2023.”
Owens Corning on Sustainability World Index
19 December 2022US: Owens Corning has achieved inclusion on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index 2022, topping the Building Materials category. The producer scored 88 out of 100 for sustainable performance across multiple indices. It recorded full marks for environmental reporting, materiality, recycling strategy, risk and crisis management and social reporting.
Owens Corning's senior vice president and chief sustainability officer David Rabuano said, "Earning placement on this index for the 13th consecutive year is a validation of the daily efforts of our colleagues across our operations globally. I am proud that their hard work and diligence in our sustainability efforts continues to be the driver of our leadership on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index - and an ongoing contributor to achieving our goals for 2030 and beyond."
National Insulation Association names Safety Excellence and Premier Industry Manufacturer Awards winners
01 April 2022US: The National Insulation Association (NIA) has announced the winners of its 2022 Safety Excellence Award and Premier Manufacturers Award winners. In the Safety Excellence Associate category, Johns Manville’s Denver, Colorado, plant, Knauf Insulation’s Shelbyville, Indiana, plant, Owens Corning’s Toledo, Ohio, plant and Proto Corporation’s Clearwater, Florida, plant all won Platinum awards. Meanwhile, the NIA’s Premier Industry Manufacturers for the year were Armacell, Johns Manville, Knauf Insulation and Owens Corning.
EY and the Danish Chamber of Commerce award Rockwool Long Term Value Creation prize
17 September 2021Denmark: Rockwool has won the Long Term Value Creation prize at construction company EY and the Danish Chamber of Commerce’s Sustainability Awards 2021. The judges chose Rockwool for its clear ambitions for operating as a responsible businesse that positively impacts the sustainable transition, with demonstrated progress towards fulfilling those ambitions.
CEO Jens Birgersson said “Sustainability is firmly integrated into our overall business strategy. We pursue a fact-based, auditable approach to document progress in maximising our products’ positive impact while minimising the negative impact of our operations. Sustained long-term value creation is precisely what we seek to achieve.”
US: The National Insulation Association (NIA) has named three insulation producers as winners of its 2021 Premier Industry Manufacturer award. Armacell, Johns Manville and Owens Corning won the nationwide award. The association’s Platinum Safety Excellence awards were presented to six insulation producers: Armacell, CertainTeed Corporation, Dyplast Products, Johns Manville, Owens Corning and Canada-based Rockwool Technical Insulation. The award is the highest category of safety excellence award at the association’s National Insulation Association Awards 2021. It awarded Proto Corporation a gold Safety Excellence award.
Executive vice president and chief executive officer Michele Jones said, “Each year, we honour our member companies that prioritise safety and make continuous improvements to their programmes, and this year we do so knowing that a strong and well communicated safety programme is more important than ever.”
The association handed over the awards virtually at its Spring Summit in mid-March 2021.
Denmark: The Danish Society of Engineers has selected Rockwool as the European Business Award for the Environment winner in the Denmark category. The producer says that the award recognises its technology innovation and implementation of sustainable processes leading to more than 70% CO2 emissions reduction. It said that its development of fuel-flexible melting technology has allowed a shift away from coal towards natural gas and biogas.
Group operations and technology senior vice president Bjørn Andersen said, “Winning this award testifies to the fact that sustainability is at the core of our business. The engineering and technology innovations this award recognises build on our decades-long efforts to improve the energy efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of our own operations. More than 50 engineers in Denmark have been working on the patented fuel-flexible melting technology being highlighted today. Ready-made solutions did not exist, so we invented them ourselves.”
He added, “Because we operate in many countries around the world, we also know that we cannot put all our technology eggs in one basket. That is why Rockwool has also developed a large-scale electric melting technology that is well-suited in countries where the electricity grid is already low carbon. At Rockwool’s factory in Moss, Norway, for example, we have recently inaugurated the industry’s largest electric melter, reducing emissions by approximately 80% compared to the previous technology used there.”
Australia: The Green Building Council of Australia has awarded Kingspan’s Somerton phenolic foam insulation plant for ‘leadership in sustainability, innovation, and promotion of more energy efficient building stock across nine impact areas.’
Green Building Council of Australia CEO Davina Rooney said, “What sets this project apart is that it is the first manufacturer to pursue and deliver performance certification, representing world leadership in sustainable building practices.” Kingspan Insulation Australia managing director Scott Gibson said, “Our facility in Somerton proves that with some effort, and using the right products, we can build better manufacturing buildings in Australia, not just offices and residential. I hope that more manufacturers decide to take this challenge on in the future.”
Davy Stockbrokers has predicted that Kingspan’s profit will fall by 27% year-on-year to Euro365m in 2020, according to the Irish Independent newspaper.
Knauf Insulation celebrates leadership
07 February 2020Germany: Knauf Insulation has announced the 11 winners of its Leadership Awards at its Leadership Conference 2020 on 6 February in Iphofen, Bavaria. Winners came from Knauf’s sales, customer service, human resources, retail and finance divisions across all its operating regions. Knauf Insulation Group human resources director Patrice Briol said, “Our award-winners demonstrate leadership qualities and live the Knauf Values every day.”
Knauf Insulation wins 2019 Greenbuild Leadership Award
22 March 2019US: Knauf Insulation has won a 2019 Greenbuild Leadership Award for outstanding contributions to sustainable building by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). The insulation producer was recognised for providing innovative solutions that both reduce energy consumption and save resources. The USGBC said that Knauf set an ‘outstanding’ example for the international green construction industry through its commitment to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and other green building practices and its corporate social responsibility commitment.
“Knauf Insulation serves as a model for the international community. Your commitment to corporate social responsibility and improving the quality of life is an inspiration," said Mahesh Ramanujamm, the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of USGBC and Green Business Certification.
The award was received on behalf of Knauf Insulation by its Sustainability and Product Regulatory Affairs Director Vincent Briard at Greenbuild Europe, an annual USGBC forum for sustainable building experts held in Amsterdam, Netherlands.