Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

Austria: Multiple actors across the Austrian insulation, construction and environmental management sectors have launched a nationwide expanded polystyrene (EPS) recycling pilot. Initiative leader Fraunhofer Austria Research aims for the project, entitled EPSolutely, to establish a circular economy for EPS insulation based on its on-site collection service. Participants include insulation producers Austrotherm, Hirsch Porozell and Steinbacher Dämmstoff. The Kleine Zeitung newspaper has reported that the service provides reuseable bags and manages workflows via an app. The pilot will conclude in December 2024, with the outcomes informing a possible industrial-scale roll-out. Insulation producers have reportedly invested in new separation equipment to meet the requirements of the materials.

Steinbacher Dämmstoff head of research and development Maximilian Bernard said "The biggest challenge is the varying quality of the material delivered. The differences range from different colours to different raw materials such as extruded polystyrene (XPS) to various foreign substances such as screws and plaster residues. Despite these differences, a consistent quality of the new EPS panels must be guaranteed."

North America: Kingspan Insulated Panels North America has released its second annual sustainability report, detailing progress in the third year of the company’s Planet Passionate sustainability initiative. In 2023, Kingspan advanced its use of renewable energy, converting its DeLand, Florida, insulation plant to 100% on-site solar power. The producer reduced its total Scope 1 and 2 CO₂ emissions by 5% year-on-year and its water consumption by 2.17ML compared to 2022. It partnered with Belter Tech to divert 454,000kg of polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam from landfill.

Director of Sustainability Brent Trenga said "Planet Passionate is transforming the business on all levels, recognised by our leadership, employees and the building professionals we collaborate with. We are proud of our 2023 achievements and continue to strive for new milestones in 2024."

North America: The North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) has reported that its members recycled 1.36Mt of materials in their insulation products in 2023. Recycling Today News has reported that the main fraction used was glass, at 1.18Mt, 87% of the total. 1.15Mt of this (77%) was used in insulation production in the US, and 191,000t (23%) in Canada. NAIMA's industry-wide recycling programme has diverted 47Mt of recycled materials into insulation production since 1992.

NAIMA president and CEO Curt Rich said "Our industry continues to demonstrate its commitment to using recycled materials in the production of these essential products. With increased focus on whole building decarbonisation, insulation products will be a critical component of that activity. Sourcing recycled materials is one way we can decrease our environmental impact while producing essential insulation materials that ultimately lower building emissions."

Sweden: BEWI has expanded its expanded polystyrene (EPS) recycling capacities through the inauguration of its new Norrköping circularity hub in Östergötland. The hub occupies the site of BEWI’s former Norrköping insulation plant. The company says that it is equipped with an extruder to produce raw materials for the production of EPS for use in its product offering. Meanwhile, the site’s strategic location maximises the efficiency with which recyclable materials are obtained, for example local construction debris and fish boxes.

Spain: URSA says it used 35,800t of recycled materials to produce glass wool and extruded polystyrene (XPS) products in 2023. Just under 70% of the raw materials used to manufacture glass wool and XPS came from waste streams from sectors including car and food manufacture.

The subsidiary of Belgium-based Etex has also been granted a new Environmental Quality Assurance certifying that it recycles at least 60% of the raw materials used in its glass wool. Other recent sustainability milestones include an increase in the amount of recycled material the company uses in its packaging. Glass wool products from its El Pla de Santa Maria plant contain a primary sheet with a minimum of 50% of recycled plastic and the packaging of its XPS range includes a primary sheet with up to 30% of recycled plastic.

Belgium: Etex says that it ‘considerably’ progressed its Road to Sustainability 2030 plan during 2023. That year, safety intensity increased by 7%, and Etex established a global diversity, equity and inclusion ambassador community of 110 volunteers across 26 countries. In Europe, the company achieved 70% Environmental Product Declaration coverage as a percentage of its turnover, up from 58% in 2022. Etex raised its total use of recycled materials to 7.6%, and achieved a 23% reduction in Scopes 1 and 2 CO₂ compared to 2018 levels, in line with its 2030 target of 35%.

CEO Bernard Delvaux said “In the EU, more than 40% of energy consumed is used in buildings and more than 30% of energy-related greenhouse gasses emissions come from buildings. Next to new building activities, and according to current high energy standards, renovating old building stock should hence be a top priority. With our portfolio of building materials such as glass wool and extruded polystyrene insulation, gypsum wallboard, fibre cement boards and fire protection materials, Etex has the solutions to reach the ambitious targets. But in view of the huge challenge, a holistic and effective plan to boost renovation is needed, to finance and simplify the renovation process, in each of the EU countries.”

US: Kingspan Insulated Panels North America is building a new K-Roc mineral wool insulation plant in Mattoon, Illinois. The producer expects the plant to commence operations in early 2025. It will be equipped with a solar power plant and rainwater harvesting system, recycling system and electric vehicle charging stations. When operational, it will employ 50 people. Kingspan’s K-Roc mineral wool insulation offers a three-hour fire rating in wall applications and one-hour fire rating in ceiling applications.

Kingspan Insulated Panels North America president Alswinn Kieboom said "As a result of continued growth and optimism for the future, the addition of this new facility complements our existing footprint in North America, giving us better access to our customer base. We are looking forward to launching this new site and having a presence in the Midwest."

US: Owens Corning has published its 2023 Sustainability Report, highlighting its advances in sustainability in the past year. These included a 59% share of revenues from reduced-CO₂ products, with a 25% share of revenues from 14 products certified as produced with 100% renewable electricity. Scope 1 and 2 emissions fell by 28% from 2018 levels, in line with the group’s 50% 2030 reduction target. It launched a pilot bitumen felt shingle recycling programme, aimed at recycling 2Mt/yr of shingles in the US by 2030. Further, Owens Corning reduced its generation of landfill waste by 14% from 2018 levels, and launched a Circular Economy Recycling Technology Innovation Laboratory in Granville, Ohio. In 2023, the group’s incident rate was 81% below the industry average, and it remains on track to meet its 2030 inclusion and diversity goals.

Senior vice president and chief sustainability officer David Rabuano said “Our 2030 sustainability goals are growing ever closer, and we believe that the targets we have set for ourselves are well within our reach. This confidence is the result of our employees’ unparalleled engagement and enthusiasm for our mission coupled with our investments in the innovation required to execute new solutions.”

Chair and CEO Brian Chambers said “Owens Corning demonstrated outstanding financial and sustainability results in 2023, showcasing the power of our company’s mission to build a sustainable future through material innovation. This report reflects the global scope of our people and our products and the many ways they work to make the world a better place.”

Owens Corning recorded net sales of US$9.68bn in 2023, down by 1% from US$9.76bn in 2022, while its adjusted earnings before interest and taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 2% to US$2.31bn.

Belgium: Knauf Insulation has released its ‘Sustainability Journey: 2023 Highlights’ report. It reveals the company’s sustainability strategy achievements focusing on safety, employee engagement, decarbonisation and the circular economy.

The company reduced its absolute full-scope emissions for its mineral wool production by 8.2% year-on-year to 1.34Mt of CO₂e in 2022 from 1.46Mt in 2021, mainly due to a significant fall in Scope 2 emissions. it currently has a target to reduce its specific embodied carbon emissions by 15% from 2021 to 2025. The recycled content of its glass mineral wool products fell to 55% in 2022 from 64%, despite the company having a target of 65% by 2025. It explained that sourcing large volumes of recycled materials of sufficient quality had proved challenging in some markets. However, it did increase the recycled content of its rock mineral wool products to 13% from 11%, with a target of 25% set for 2024. It also reduced its total recordable incident rate by 8% to 5.9 from 6.4 against a target of below 5 for 2025.

Dominique Bossan, the chief executive officer for Europe, Middle East and Asia at Knauf Group, said “The report documents our progress towards achieving our 2025 sustainability targets. It shows the areas where we need to improve, celebrates where we have made positive progress and pays tribute to the hard work of our teams."

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.