Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Italy: Saint-Gobain has entered into a 10-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Switzerland-based utilities provider Axpo Holding. Under the agreement, Axpo Holding will supply 22GWh/yr of renewable electricity from a newly built wind farm in Puglia. The deal will fulfil 11% of Saint-Gobain's Italian energy needs across 10 sites.

The latest PPA with Axpo Italia is Saint-Gobain's fifth in Italy. Collectively, these will bring the group’s reliance on renewables in its Italian operations to 20%.

France: Saint-Gobain subsidiary Isonat is investing Euro10m in a capacity expansion to its Mably insulation wood fibre insulating panels plant. French Collection News has reported that the expansion will double the plant’s capacity to 42,000t/yr. The company says that it aims to double its sales in two years. It noted growing demand for bio-sourced materials and the availability of favourable home renovations subsidies.

UK: France-based waterproofing and insulation group Soprema has agreed to acquire a 75% stake in Celotex. Dow Jones Institutional News has reported that Celotex is presently a subsidiary of Soprema’s fellow France-based conglomerate Saint-Gobain. After completion of the deal in early 2024, Saint-Gobain says that it will retain a 25% stake in Celotex.

Celotex controls the Ipswich polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation plant in Suffolk.

India: France-based Saint-Gobain has acquired waterproofing systems producer Menkol Industries. Menkol Industries operates a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) products plant in the Kinfra Industrial And Textile Park in Kanjikkode, Kerala.

Sweden: Saint-Gobain Ecophon has entered into a deal to acquire wood wool products company Träullit. Saint-Gobain Ecophon said that the acquisition will complete its existing portfolio of wall and ceiling products.

Saint-Gobain Ecophon CEO Pierre-Emmanuel Thiard said “Träullit has a Swedish legacy to be proud of, and we are happy to start a new journey together to develop this offer. The integration with Ecophon will broaden Träullit’s current sales focus from Scandinavia into further European markets and accelerate growth thanks to Ecophon’s complete solution portfolio and experienced research and development division.”

Saudi Arabia: France-based Saint-Gobain agreed to buy waterproofing products company Izomaks Industries on 13 November 2023. Izomaks Industries employs 140 people across its two plants. Solradin News has reported that Saint-Gobain has been active in the Saudi Arabian insulation business since 2007.

Canada: Saint-Gobain completed its acquisition of Building Products of Canada at the start of September 2023 for an undisclosed sum. The privately-owned company manufactures residential roofing shingles and wood fibre insulation panels. It has 460 employees and three manufacturing plants, at Montreal in Quebec, Edmonton in Alberta and Pont-Rouge in Quebec. Saint-Gobain says that the purchase is intended to establish its position worldwide in light and sustainable construction. The acquisition was first announced in June 2023.

Canada: The Competition Bureau of Canada has cleared France-based Saint-Gobain to acquire Building Products of Canada. Building Products of Canada produces wood fibre insulation panels, among other materials for construction. Saint-Gobain says that the company complements its subsidiary CertainTeed Canada’s existing operations. It expects to complete the acquisition on 1 September 2023.

Denmark: Saint-Gobain’s subsidiaries Isover and Leca have started an agreement with waste management company Norrecco to recycle glass wool insulation. Under the new system, contractors will be able to return used and excess Isover glass wool to Norrecco's waste treatment stations at Prøvestenen in Copenhagen and at Agerskov in Southern Jutland. Norrecco will then pass the glass wool to Leca Denmark’s plant at Hinge near Randers. Here it will be used as a raw material in the production of lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LWA) products. LWA is used in a variety of applications such as insulation or as a structural filler. Leca added that LWA can be recycled repeatedly.

Mona Ammitzbøll Rasmussen, the Sustainability Engineer at Saint-Gobain Denmark, said "From the moment our glass wool leaves the factory, we want to support the idea that the material will one day return and be used in the production of new insulation materials, rather than ending up in landfills. It is an unnecessary waste that we need to eliminate as soon as possible."

Leca Denmark has the capacity to accept around 1000t/yr of used or excess glass wool from the Danish market. The company said that, although it represents a small portion of the total production, it reduces the need to extract a corresponding amount of natural clay, which is the primary raw material in its Leca LWA product. Isover is also working on publishing guides to better help contractors sort between the different types of mineral wool to assess purity ahead of potential recycling.

UK: Testing provider the Building Research Establishment (BRE) has informed Kingspan and Saint-Gobain subsidiary Celotex of its decision to break off its relationship with them due to perceived 'reputational risk.' Insulation supplied by Kingspan (Kooltherm K15 phenolic insulation) and Celotex (RS5000 polyisocyanurate insulation) was present in Grenfell Tower, London, when it burned down in June 2017. 72 people died in the fire. Both producers deny having contributed to the disaster. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry investigated the relationship between each company and the BRE during its inquest into the fire. A final report is currently in preparation following the conclusion of Phase 2 hearings in 2022.

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry heard that Kingspan had marketed its Kooltherm K15 panels for general use in high rise construction, relying on tests carried out at a BRE facility with a system involving external fibre cement panels, of a sort not used in Grenfell Tower. Subsequent tests of the product, carried out by Kingspan, included one which resulted in a 'raging inferno.' Meanwhile, Celotex added fire-resistant board to a rig used in testing in 2014, reportedly to increase its products' chances of passing.

Inside Housing News has reported that BRE said “BRE no longer accepts any new work on behalf of Kingspan or Celotex following evidence heard during the course of this inquiry.”

Kingspan clarified that "There is no product performance basis for [BRE's] decision,” adding that its panels had shown zero non-conformities in their most recent audit in December 2022. It said “Independently of BRE, whose certification is regionally focused on the UK and Ireland, Kingspan is certified by the globally recognised insurer testing regime FM Approvals, which carries out annual factory surveillance audits to verify our products comply with its global approval standards."