Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Germany: CertainTeed plans to build a 312kW solar power plant at its Berlin insulation centre. Construction is set to begin in 2022. Along with a similar project in its US plastic operations in Wayne, New Jersey, US, the plant’s construction aligns with the aims of parent company Saint-Gobain’s newly announced Grow and Impact sustainable expansion strategy.

CertainTeed CEO Mark Rayfield said “The new solar projects at our sites in Berlin and Wayne will reduce our company’s energy costs at these locations and support the broader transition to renewable, zero-carbon sources of power.”

Denmark: 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.”

Belgium: Knauf Insulation has announced its new sustainability strategy, entitled ‘For A Better World.’ The company says, “The strategy is defined by clear concrete targets for 2025, focussing on four key sustainable goals: Putting People First, Achieving Zero Carbon, Delivering A Circular Economy and Creating Better Buildings.” Its targets include reducing total recordable incident rate from 9.2 to 5.0, reducing the embodied carbon dioxide (CO₂) of products by 15%, investing 10% of general capital expenditure (CAPEX) in new projects to reduce emissions or landfill waste, cutting the carbon footprint of business travel by 25%, reducing virgin plastic packaging by 25%, using more than 25% of external recycled material in mineral wool and more than 65% recycled material in glass wool and sending zero production waste to landfill. Chief executive officer (CEO) Jean-Claude Carlin said, “These clear, concrete short-term targets for 2025 support our long-term commitments in ways that everyone can start achieving now.”

Director of sustainability Vincent Briard said, “Sustainability defines everything we do. Our products save energy, cut emissions and make buildings fit for the future. We have the experience and expertise to ensure all our customers achieve their sustainable ambitions. We are also here to help. We are supporting our customers as they navigate market forces and regulatory landscapes that are increasingly demanding more sustainable building solutions.”

Denmark: Rockwool is rolling out a new strategy under the management of the company's chairman of the board, Bjørn Høi Jensen, whose first decision was to replace CEO Eelco van Heel with Jens Birgersson.

Birgersson was chosen for the task due to his significant global experience. Rockwool wants to replace its present strategy, which involves aggressive investments in building plants, with a smarter global organisation and new ways of entering markets. According to Jensen, the previous strategy had not proved successful and the return on investment capital had not been impressive. The new strategy is expected to generate bigger earnings for Rockwool.