Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

UK: The Peatland Progress bog restoration project in Cambridgeshire will plant and harvest bulrushes for use as a raw material in alternative insulation production. The Evening Standard newspaper has reported that trials have successfully produced insulation from bulrushes in Germany and the Netherlands. Peatland Progress holds Euro9.08m in National Lottery funding. The project will rewet peat and restore wetland habitats over 120 hectares of the historic Fens.

Ireland/UK: Kingspan has launched a range of reduced-CO₂ insulation panels called QuadCore LEC. The producer says that a 100mm-thick QuadCore AWP panel has 40% lower embodied CO₂ than an EN15804-A2 standard insulation panel of the same thickness.

Kingspan’s head of innovation Mike Stenson said “As a business we are committed to developing high performing, energy efficient building envelope solutions that help minimise the carbon footprint of buildings over the whole life cycle.” He added “QuadCore is already one of the highest performing insulation technologies in terms of thermal efficiency (underpinned by a 25-year thermal warranty), which could enable higher energy and carbon savings through the operational life of the building. This is the first step on our journey to reducing the embodied carbon of our products, and we anticipate some major milestones by 2030 to drive that down even further.”

UK: State-owned Scottish National Investment Bank has granted Euro2.26m in funding to Industrial Nature for the development of its IndiTherm hemp-based insulation. Industrial Nature is based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Türkiye: The Turkish government has introduced new rules on the minimum thickness of insulation used in urban construction. Buildings in Ankara must be fitted with 9cm-thick insulation, compared to 6cm previously, while those in Istanbul must be fitted with 8cm-thick insulation, compared to 5cm previously. Suar Energy News has reported that this accompanies new government regulations that require all new builds to source at least 5% of their electricity renewably, as part of a drive for Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (NZEB).

US: 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."

Europe: Dow has announced the European launch of V PLUS Perform Next, a polyurethane (PU) insulation product for use in insulated metal panels. V PLUS Perform Next insulation contains alternative raw materials from circular feedstocks, including bio-based feedstocks. Dow allocates the feedstocks based on a mass balance chain of custody, validated by International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC). It produces V PLUS Perform Next using over 25% renewable energy.

Dow PU construction insulation marketing fellow Alberto Mercati said “The new EU Energy Performance of Buildings directive adds urgency for buildings that require energy efficient insulation with decreased embodied carbon. For the last five years, V PLUS Perform has enabled insulated metal panel manufacturers to deliver building envelopes that couple energy efficiency and fire safety. V PLUS Perform Next supports insulated panel manufacturers to select lower carbon and circular construction ingredients from the design phase to the delivery of a novel class of products for more sustainable buildings.”

UK: Denmark-based Rockwool has announced plans to replace natural gas used in its Bridgend stone wool insulation plant's combustion systems and curing ovens with green hydrogen produced on-site. Engineering company Marubeni Europower and consultancy Mott MacDonald will also be involved in the project. H2 News has reported that the work will rely on US$462,000 in government funding.

Rockwool's managing director Rafael Rodriguez said “The group has set ambitious decarbonisation targets, verified and approved by the Science Based Target Initiative, and in line with this, we are looking forward to enhancing our own understanding about the potential for green hydrogen use in our business.”

Belgium: Recticel has joined the Science-Based Targets Initiative, reinforcing its commitment to institutional CO₂ emissions reduction grounded in climate science. Under the commitment, it set two new targets, namely to achieve net zero Scope 1 and 2 CO₂ emissions from its operations by 2030, and to achieve net zero Scope 3 CO₂ emissions by 2050.

The insulation producer said "Recticel looks forward to engaging with all partners in its value chain to join forces and drive progress. Our results against targets will be communicated in the annual report."

US: Hemp Inc.’s Hempcrete insulation panels have received approval for residential construction use in an appendix to the US Residential Building Code. Hempcrete insulation consists of hemp stalk hurd and lime. It is fire-resistant, moisture regulating and sequesters CO₂ naturally due to its hemp content.

Hemp Inc. operates a multi-purpose hemp processing plant in Spring Hope, North Carolina.

Kazakhstan: KazFeltec and Italy-based Cormatex plan to build a Euro10m natural wool insulation plant in Aktobe Region. Kazakhstan General Newsline has reported that the plant will use local coarse sheep’s wool, a waste product of which 3500t/yr is generated currently in Aktobe. The plant is scheduled for commissioning in mid-late 2023.