Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

UK: Around 900 people have reached a settlement at the High Court related to civil claims following the fire at Grenfell Tower in 2017. A total settlement figure of Euro170m has been set by the court, according to ITV News. However, the civil claim will have no determination on the ongoing public inquiry into the fire and any potential future criminal charges.

Both cladding company Arconic and insulation producer Celotex have been part of the various civil legal cases. Celotex, a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, said that “without admission of liability” it had agreed to make a financial contribution towards the settlement. It added that, “Celotex and the Saint-Gobain Group reaffirm their deepest sympathies to everyone affected by the fire.” Kingspan has also confirmed its involvement in civil cases relating to the fire at Grenfell Tower in a statement reported upon by Building magazine.

UK/Ireland: The UK Housing Secretary Michael Gove has invited Ireland-based Kingspan to enter into discussions over a possible contribution by the company towards fire safety renovations on unsafe buildings across the UK. Following the deadly Grenfell Tower fire of June 2017, extensive UK housing stock was found to be unsafe due to the presence of flammable materials in exterior insulation systems. In an open letter, Gove said “Those companies who do not share our commitment to righting the wrongs of the past must expect to face commercial consequences.”

The Irish Times newspaper has reported that Kingspan previously said that it would contribute to 'an appropriate joint government and industry-wide funding mechanism' for the policy. Kingspan's Kooltherm K15 phenolic insulation accounted for 5% of Grenfell Tower's insulation. Kingspan clarified that it was not responsible for the supply of the insulation used in construction of the tower.

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.

UK/Ireland: Knauf Insulation has appointed Ross Foreman as its National Wood Wool Manager for UK & Ireland. Foreman will support the company’s drive to meet increasing demand for its Heraklith range of wood wool products.

Knauf Insulation offers two core products in the Heraklith range: the Heraklith A2 Decorative Panel, which is a cement-bonded wood wool panel; and the Heraklith Tektalan A2 SmartTec, which is a cement-bonded wood wool panel combined with a rock mineral wool insulation core. Both products are non-combustible with A2 - s1, d0 Euroclass reaction to fire classification.

The Heraklith A2 Decorative Panel is designed for use in residential, recreational, industrial and commercial environments where sound absorption is desired. It is available in three panel thicknesses with thermal conductivity of 0.085W/mK.

Heraklith Tektalan A2 SmartTec is suitable for insulating the soffits of carparks and underground garages, basement ceilings and technical rooms. It has a thermal conductivity of 0.095W/mK and the mineral wool core a thermal conductivity of 0.034W/mK.

UK: SIG’s sales revenue grew by 17% year-on-year to Euro3.12bn in 2022 on a like-for-like basis. Market demand fell in the second half of the year with particularly slowed growth in Poland and Ireland although growth increased in the Benelux region. The group said that its commercial strategy had strengthened its positions in the markets in which it operate. It observed that although input price inflation eased in the second half of 2022 it had slowed revenue growth. The company also reported a one-off loss of around Euro5.60m in the second half due to Avonside, a large UK-based roofing contractor and one of the group's largest customers, entering financial administration.

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.

UK: Graffiti reading 'Grenfell' has appeared on walls and gates at the entrance to Ulster Rugby's Kingspan Stadium in Belfast in protest against Kingpan's indirect involvement in the Grenfell Tower fire in London on the night of 13 - 14 June 2017. Some insulation produced by Kingspan was present in the building envelope of the tower at that time.

The Belfast Telegraph newspaper has reported that local groups Act Now and Uplift in the Republic, in partnership with Britain-based 38 Degrees, previously erected a billboard in view of the Kingspan Stadium, expressing solidarity with victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster, in March 2022.

UK: Knauf Insulation has concluded a deal to acquire the Pilkington Architectural site next to its glass wool plant in St Helens. The purchase of the seven hectare area is part of a combined Euro46m production capacity expansion project at both the St Helens and Cwmbran plants that was previously announced in April 2022. At the St Helens plant the company plans to use the additional space storage space and better logistics arraignments.

Ireland: Kingspan’s sales rose by 33% year-on-year to Euro6.25bn in the first nine months of 2022. It said that insulated panel sales grew by 29% and insulation board sales grew by 48%. Panel sales were reported as holding up ‘reasonably well’ in the Americas, Germany and the UK but as being weaker elsewhere in Europe. Board sales increases were led by a rise in price.