Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

UK: Plans by Knauf Insulation and Veolia to tackle complains about the ‘offensive’ odour from a glass-recycling unit at Knauf’s St Helens mineral wool plant have been approved by the local council. The proposals include introducing a wet scrubber and extending the current dryerstack to 30m from 13m, according to the St Helens Star newspaper. These measures were suggested following an assessment with Odournet. Local residents have made complaints about the Veolia-run unit since it became operation in October 2017.

US/China: The Office of the US Trade Representative has started implementing a 10% tariff on mineral and other products from China, including mineral wool products, following a consultation period. Mineral products affected by the proposed tariffs of interest to the insulation industry include: slag wool, rock wool and similar mineral wools, in bulk, sheets or rolls; and nonwoven glass wool insulation products. The latest tariff list follows an earlier decision by the US government to tax imports from China worth US$34bn that came into force in early July 2018.

New Zealand: Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods has officially launched the Warmer Kiwi Homes insulation programme in Christchurch. The US$96m programme is intended to give low income homeowners grants covering two thirds of the cost of ceiling and underfloor insulation. The first year of the programme will focus on insulation grants, with grants for heating available from July 2019.

UK: A review by the government into building regulations and fire safety has found that the local buildings regulation system is broken, However, it has not recommended a ban on combustible cladding, according to Reuters. The independent review followed a fire at a residential tower block in June 2017 that killed 71 people. An aluminium cladding with a flammable plastic core is thought to have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

Judith Hackitt, the engineer and former Chair of the UK Health and Safety Executive presiding over the review, defended existing regulations and blamed poor implementation of the rules by builders and contractors. She has recommended that the building regulations system be changed to focus on high-rise residential buildings first and then to improve building safety during design, constriction and refurbishment. She also called for greater enforcement powers with ‘serious’ penalties for individuals who infringe the rules.

Organisations including Kingspan Insulation, Knauf Insulation, the Mineral Wool Insulation Manufacturers Association and the Constructions Products Association provided written evidence to the review.

A separate public inquiry is examining the causes of the Grenfell Tower fire and a police investigation is also looking at the incident.

Australia: Kingspan Australia has complained that its can’t compete against foreign competitors due to shipping charges at the Port of Melbourne. Charges at the port have led to the state government to consider taking action. Kingspan says it has conducted an international benchmarking survey across ports it uses, including those in the UK, the UAE, China and South Korea. It found that Melbourne was the most expensive and one of the most expensive ports in the world for terminal handling and port service charges.

Exports comprise a third of the output of Kingspan’s plant at Somerton. Further plans to upgrade the plan depend on its export market. The US$30m plant opened in mid-2017.

Poland: Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says that his government will spend Euro7.2bn on measures to reduce air emissions including financing home insulation. Other measures in the programme include support for ‘green’ heating system, according to Radio Poland. The announcement follows the government’s support for a bill in March 2018 banning low-quality coal for domestic use.

According to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), 33 of Europe's 50 most polluted cities are in Poland. The WHO estimates that around 50,000 citizens die each year due to air pollution-related conditions.

US: Cal Dooley, the president and chief executive officer of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), has warned that a proposed Chinese response to US-imposed tariffs on imports of Chinese steel and aluminium could have negative implications for US exports of products including polyethylene.

“China is one of the US chemical industry’s most important trading partners, importing 11%, or US$3.2bn, of all US plastic resins in 2017. We are particularly concerned that 40% of the products to which China has assigned new tariffs are chemicals, including polyethylene, PVC, polycarbonates, acrylates, and others,” said Dooley in a statement. He added that nearly US$185bn in new chemical factories, expansions and restarts of facilities around the US are predicated on current tariff schedules, and market shifts caused by tariff increases may convince investors to do business elsewhere. He ‘strongly’ urged the US and China to reach an agreement.

Belgium: The European Insulation Manufacturers Association (Eurima) has supported a European Parliament vote approving a 35% European Union (EU) energy efficiency target. The adopted proposals on the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and the EU Governance regulation has also strengthen Article 7 (Energy Efficiency Obligation Schemes).

“With yesterday’s votes, ‘Energy Efficiency First’ now starts to become more than a slogan. When 76% of our efforts towards COP21 must come from energy efficiency, tapping into the savings resting in the buildings sector we are cost-effectively bridging the gap between reality and the COP21 objectives. In this respect, the outcomes of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, EED and EU Governance show that the Parliament is ready to send a strong signal to the Council,” said Jan te Bos, the Director General of Eurima.

Hungary: Building materials producer Masterplast has been awarded a Euro0.8m grant from the government for its foam insulation plant at Kal. The grant will be used as part of a Euro1.6m upgrade at the site, according to the MTI-Eco news agency.

US: Several of Owens Corning’s Thermafiber mineral wool insulation products and their supporting design and installation services have earned Safety Act Designation from the US Department of Homeland Security. The purpose of the act is to ensure the threat of liability doesn’t prevent companies from developing and commercialising products that could save lives in the event of an act of terrorism. It restricts liability where qualified anti-terrorism technologies, or QATTs, have been used.

“Owens Corning is the first insulation manufacturer to be listed publicly with the Department of Homeland Security as having qualified technology carrying the Safety Act Designation,” said Julian Francis, president, Insulation Business.

The designation covers a variety of Thermafiber products in perimeter fire barrier system, interior wall and floor ceiling systems, construction joint firestopping system and penetration firestopping system applications.