Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

UK: Wull Technologies has secured funding to scale production of its LAMDA sheep’s wool-based insulation panels. The company will produce the panels at its Manchester plant, using wool from sheep in Wales. Farming UK News has reported that the insulation is both recyclable and biodegradable. It matches the thermal and acoustic performance of mineral wool, but with increased moisture management ability.

The University of Manchester's Innovation Factory and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority supplies the latest funding, bringing the total received by the company to €597,000.

Technical Director Liam Britnell said "We set out to use materials science to open up new markets for this abundant and underutilised material. Rigid panel insulation is widely used and preferred across the construction sector because it is easy to handle, install and cut to shape."

Hungary: Masterplast has unveiled a new strategy for increasing internal flexibility and reducing exposure to an ‘extremely unpredictable’ global economic environment. MTI – EcoNews has reported that the producer will no longer publish numerical financial forecasts. It will additionally focus on inventory and cash-flow management and monitoring market feedback. Preparation is underway for ‘multiple scenarios,’ including slow, moderate and rapid global economic growth.

Masterplast expects to commence operations at its upcoming Szerencs glass wool plant in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county in mid-2025.

Spain: Bank BBVA has signed an agreement with property management company General Council of Associations of Property Administrators to provide loans for 100% of the cost of energy efficiency renovations in its residential buildings. The agreement also covers loans for accessibility upgrades. Diario de Ávila News has reported that financial products available under the agreement include the Homeowners’ Associations Loan, which covers the costs of construction and materials, including insulation.

Ukraine: City authorities in Dnipro, Eastern Ukraine, have installed insulation in six blocks of flats under the national Energodim renovations programme. Business World Magazine News has reported that work is also underway at seven further blocks of flats. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development supplied loans for the renovations.

Dnipro lies 130km inside Ukraine’s front line against the on-going Russian invasion of the country.

Hungary: Masterplast has entered talks with a ‘major Hungarian lender’ to refinance its debt following concerns over its liquidity. It is reportedly requesting a one-time exemption from its bond obligations to allow for a new credit line of up to €7.6m for a three-year term, according to the producer. Its bondholders are currently voting on the proposal. Bne IntelliNews has reported that the developments follow ratings agency Scope Ratings’ downgrading of Masterplast’s rating to CCC.

Masterplast CEO Tibor David said that talks are ‘progressing well.’

US: Knauf Insulation has secured US$3.28m in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and verify Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for insulation. Knauf Insulation will produce the EPDs based on comprehensive Life Cycle Assessments of its products.

Knauf North America director of sustainability Gabriela Fleury said "Transparency is embedded in our core values and a key component of our business conduct. It is imperative that our product documentation provides accurate, reliable and updated information to our stakeholders. This grant will leverage the development and improvement of EPDs, which not only allows clients to make informed decisions about lower embodied carbon products, but also indicate areas of improvement to lower greenhouse gas emissions throughout our operations. This grant represents a significant sustainability leap for all of our stakeholders. It enables us to enhance our EPD portfolio, meeting increasing market demands for product transparency."

Germany: Insulation installation start-up Varm has secured €5.7m in seed funding to expand its operations across Europe. The round was led by Emerge and Pale Blue Dot, with contributions from Noa, Foundamental and previous investors.

CEO Christian Gruener said “We are building a scalable infrastructure for insulation. This funding will help us expand and innovate, making insulation more accessible and affordable for everyone.”

Ireland: The government has announced that households eligible for funding under the existing Enhanced Defective Concrete Block (DCB) scheme can now also access funding for home insulation and energy improvements. The Irish Examiner newspaper has reported that grants of up to €37,550 are available for the purchase of materials including insulation.

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan said "The government wants to ensure that every household has the opportunity to take advantage of the green transition and benefit from homes that are warmer, healthier and more comfortable with lower energy bills and emissions.”

Belgium: Etex reported sales of €3.81bn in 2023, up by 2.5% from 2022 levels. The company's recurring earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (REBITDA) rose by 10% to €712m. It also raised its capital expenditure for the year, to €371m. Etex used 47% recycled polystyrene in its operations throughout the year. In mid-2023, Etex exited Russia through the sale of two URSA insulation sites. The group is also ‘actively preparing’ to help rebuild Ukraine as soon as conditions permit.

CEO Bernard Delvaux said “Even more so than 2022, 2023 was a challenging year marked by volatility, uncertainty and severe drops in demand across the world, as we observed the continued impacts of increased energy prices and interest rates. Combined with tougher financing possibilities by banks, all these circumstances meant that both renovation and new construction levels dropped globally. Devaluation of some foreign currencies and hyperinflation accounting also had significant effects on our results. Despite all these challenges, I am extremely proud to share that Etex navigated these difficult waters very well and delivered yet again another record year. This includes our highest ever revenue and REBITDA, among others. This strong performance stems from our anticipation in making strategic decisions and changes at global, regional and local levels, ensuring continued proximity with our customers. This is also a result of even tighter cost monitoring in 2023, without ever losing sight of our long-term ambitions and continuing to improve our strong industrial footprint.”

US: Todd Fister will take over as chief financial officer (CFO) at Owens Corning from 15 September 2023. Fister brings 27 years’ experience at Fortune 500 companies spanning the global building materials, consumer products and packaging industries. This includes working as president of Owens Corning’s Insulation business since 2019, where he leads a team of 8000 people. His work in the role has included developing the producer’s enterprise strategy. Fister also sits on the Owens Corning executive committee. He holds an economics degree from Miami University, and also obtained a PhD from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Owens Corning chair and CEO Brian Chambers said "I've worked closely with Todd over the past several years, and am excited to welcome him to the CFO role. Todd brings a broad set of financial, operational and strategic experiences and capabilities to the new role, along with invaluable customer perspective, that will be critical as we continue to accelerate our growth and expand the earnings power of our company."

Fister will replace Ken Parks, who is stepping down to pursue another professional opportunity. Thanking Parks for his contributions while CFO, Chambers said “Under Ken's leadership, we have strengthened the capability of our global finance team and consistently delivered our financial targets."