Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Germany: 7116 hectares of construction hemp are under cultivation in Germany in the growing season for 2025. This represents a 22% year-on-year rise in the total area since the 2024 harvest. Brandenburg has the greatest acreage of any state, with 1500 hectares (21%).

Brandenburg-based Felde Fibres is investing ‘tens of millions’ of Euros in current capital expenditure in its production of hemp for the building materials and textile sectors.

Local press has reported that hemp demand continues on a long-term growth trajectory, despite nearly doubling in prices since the beginning of the on-going energy crisis in 2022.

Germany: BASF has completed a pilot, with Frankfurt-based housing society ABG and external thermal insulation composite systems producer Sto, testing an insulation board based on expandable polystyrene (EPS) containing recycled material. Around 10% of the polystyrene was replaced with a recycled substitute during the test. The results showed that the newly developed board met the same quality standards as standard market products. The sustainability targets of ABG was one of the key impetuses for the project.

BASF used its Neopor F 5 Mcycled product in the test. It is a graphite-containing expandable polystyrene granulate that contains 10% recycled material. The recycled material comes from mechanically recycled EPS waste. The aim is to other byproducts for the production of Neopor Mcycled in the future, such as EPS off-cuts from construction sites.

Germany: Saint-Gobain subsidiary Isover has announced the upcoming closure of the glass wool line at its Bergisch Gladbach plant in North Rhine-Westphalia. Energate Messenger News has reported that this is due to a local homebuilding ‘slump’ and reduced export volumes. As a result, Isover will cancel a planned green hydrogen plant project at the site.

Isover will now relocate ‘part of the production lost’ from Bergisch Gladbach to its Speyer plant in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Germany: Karl Bachl Kunststoffverarbeitung, a long-time distributor of Styrodur extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation, has entered into an agreement to acquire the producer from chemicals company BASF. Plastverarbeiter News has reported that Styrodur’s 50 employees will stay on at BASF. The deal is scheduled for completion by 30 June 2025.

Germany: Sto has revised its 2024 results forecast downwards following ‘increased competition’ and ‘weak demand’ in the year-to-date. Local press has reported that the producer expects to record sales of €1.6bn, down by 7% year-on-year from €1.72bn in 2023. Sto had previously forecast a 3.5% decline, to €1.66bn. As a result, it now anticipates a 46 – 61% year-on-year drop in earnings, from €127m to €50 – 68m. Previously, Sto had forecast earnings of €62 – 82m, down by 35 – 51%.

Germany: BASF is set to expand production of its Neopor graphite-enriched expanded polystyrene (EPS) at its Ludwigshafen plant in Rhineland-Palatinate by 50,000t/yr. From its commissioning in 2027, the expanded line will help BASF to meet increased demand for the material. Neopor serves as raw granulate for use in the production of insulation materials for building envelopes. The company says that it offers a 30% greater heat retention than traditional EPS.

Director Stephan Kothrade said "Neopor is classified as a 'Pioneer' in the highest category of the Sustainable Solution Steering (Triple-S) sustainability assessment which BASF uses to evaluate all its products, and is part of BASF's Sustainable Future Solutions."

Germany: The Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology in Oberhausen is reportedly looking for partnerships through which to commercialise its new aerogel-based insulation. WAZ Plus News has reported that the insulation consists of porous beads made of 99% air.

Materials from the Fraunhofer Institute’s pilot plant have featured in construction projects including in the historic Hanseatic Quarter of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, and the town hall of Hohen Neundorf in Brandenburg.

Germany: Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research have developed a novel insulation from fungal mycelium. Professional Engineering News has reported that the materials are naturally woven by the mycelium filaments by which fungi spread. Researchers successfully varied fungus type, feed and environmental conditions to produce a range of performance characteristics comparable to conventional expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation. Additionally, the materials offer high fire resistance and moisture regulation.

World: Germany-based gypsum wallboard and plaster producer Knauf and its insulation subsidiary Knauf Insulation have consolidated their online presence with a new website, knauf.com. The site offers access to the group’s entire product range. Knauf said that the shift aims to help customers to increase their productivity.

Knauf Ibérica marketing and technical director Pablo Maroto said "This new platform reinforces our commitment to innovation and facilitates access to our solutions at a global level."

World: Market research firm Future Market Insights (FMI) has forecast a composite annual growth rate of 6% in the global polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation market up to 2033. This will result in 81% decade-on-decade growth to US$25.6bn in 2033. FMI noted technical developments affecting the use of customised PIR boards in the prefabricated construction as a main driver of the growth. Nationally, the market will have a CAGR of 8% in China, 7% in India, 6% in the UK, 5% in Canada and 4% in Germany.

FMI said “In the rapidly changing world of PIR insulation, innovation and sustainability have emerged as dynamic forces reshaping the industry’s trajectory. The market is going through a fundamental shift, moving beyond its traditional role of providing insulation and into uncharted territory where cutting-edge technologies are poised to redefine its boundaries.”