Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

US: Carlisle Construction Materials has awarded a contract to Germany-based polymers producer Covestro to supply its 99%-reduced CO₂ bio-circular methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). Carlisle Construction Materials plans to use the materials in its polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation boards. Covestro says that it will supply its Mondur CQ 489 product, which will be suitable for use across Carlisle Construction Materials’ Hunter Panels, SynTec, Versico and WeatherBond product ranges. The supplier says that switching to this MDI will save 2.4t of CO₂ emissions per tonne used.

Carlisle Construction Materials president Steve Schwar said "Carlisle Construction Materials has always been at the forefront of developing high-performance construction products that lead the way in sustainability. With our new bio-based rigid foam insulation, we are demonstrating our unwavering commitment to environmental responsibility, while ensuring that our customers have access to the most advanced building materials available. Our partners play a pivotal role in the realisation of our bio-based isolation."

Covestro’s head of performance materials Hermann-Josef Doerholt said "Covestro’s vision to become fully circular requires research and development advancements that directly support the Scope 3 goals of our customers like Carlisle. Covestro has some of the most aggressive sustainability and climate targets in the chemical industry, and the further we progress in developing solutions to achieve them, the more the effects resonate along the supply chain.”

US: Carlisle Construction Materials’ net sales rose by 4.4% year-on-year to US$484m in the fourth quarter of 2015. The building products manufacturer attributed the growth to demand for insulation application and commercial roofing and good weather. It also benefitted from lower raw material costs and improved business practices although this was partially offset by lower selling prices.

Overall, the Carlisle Companies subsidiary reported that its net sales rose by 3.5% year-on-year to US$2bn in 2015 from US$1.94bn in 2014. Its earnings before interest and income taxes rose by 30.6% to US$351m from US$269m.