Global Gypsum Newsletter

Issue: GGM70 / 08 January 2026

Headlines


Kazakhstan: KazFeltec has launched a 3500t/yr wool processing plant and 2200t/yr non-woven materials plant in Aktobe. Kazakhstan Newsline has reported the total investment cost of the facility as US$10.4m. Italy-based Cormatex supplied processing and production equipment. Products will include wool-based insulation and the plant will commence domestic and export sales in March 2026.


Netherlands: Denmark-based Rockwool has commissioned a fully electric heavy goods vehicle as part of its transport fleet in the Netherlands. In a post to LinkedIn, the producer said that the vehicle will deliver more freight in fewer journeys, with 98% reduced emissions of CO₂. Local logistics partner Kuypers Neer will collaborate in operating the lorry.


US: Germany-based BASF has launched WallTite RSB, a reduced-CO2 closed-cell spray polyurethane foam insulation that incorporates recycled and other alternative raw materials. WallTite RSB has pending United States Department of Agriculture BioPreferred certification and is subject to a manufacturer-specific Environmental Product Declaration. The ‘RSB’ in the product’s name stands for recycled, sustainable and bio-based.


US: A team at the University of Colorado Boulder has developed a new silicone gel-based insulation called Mesoporous Optically Clear Heat Insulator (MOCHI). In a paper published in Science, the team reported that MOCHI consists of 90% air in a microscopic porous lattice. A 5mm-thick sheet can effectively block the heat of a flame, while reflecting just 0.2% of its light. This makes the material suitable for use in windows.

Researcher Ivan Smalyukh said "To block heat exchange, you can put a lot of insulation in your walls, but windows need to be transparent. Finding insulators that are transparent is really challenging."


Ukraine: The International Finance Corporation has estimated that Ukraine requires US$3.86bn of investments in ‘advanced building materials’ to meet demand during its eventual full reconstruction following the on-going Russian invasion. This is 0.7% of a projected US$500bn over a decade of rebuilding.

Ukraine Business News has reported that the nation requires an additional 6Mm²/yr of precast concrete (projected costs: US$1.5bn), 8Mt/yr of geopolymers (US$1.36bn), 700,000t/yr of basalt wool (US$420m), 100,000t of basalt reinforcement (US$420m), 1Mm³/yr of autoclaved aerated concrete (US$100m), 8Mm²/yr of glazing (US$72m), US$50m of 3D printing construction equipment and 500,000t/yr of hemp concrete (US$20m). All this would generate an estimated 17,000 new jobs.


US: Havelock Wool has launched its sheep’s wool insulation across the US, now in stock online at retailer The Home Depot. The move aims to advance Havelock Wool’s aspiration to get ‘More wool in more walls.’ EIN Presswire News has reported that the company will now commence a ‘prudent’ scale-up of its insulation production.

Founder Andrew Legge said "This step highlights a broader consumer shift toward healthier, sustainable choices. The main hurdle to meaningful growth has been logistics cost and our inability to compete with big companies on an unlevel playing field. By partnering with The Home Depot, we can now cost-effectively deliver the healthiest, most sustainable high-performance insulation product on the market to all homes."


Denmark: Rockwool recorded sales of €2.91bn in the first nine months of 2025, up by 1% year-on-year. Group earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell by 2% to €665m, while insulation sales rose by 2% to €2.33bn, with an EBIT for the segment of €393m. While sales grew ‘solidly’ in Eastern Europe and Southern Europe, the producer noted a ‘continued slow-down’ in Russia and a decline in efficiency at multiple plants, along with lower operating cost leverage, globally. It also ‘experienced headwinds’ in key markets following large projects postponements in Canada and the UK.

During the period, Rockwool invested €307m across its operations. This went towards on-going stone wool insulation plant projects in India and the US and an expansion to double the capacity of its Ariceştii Rahtivani plant in Romania, due for completion in 2027 at a total cost of €150m. Sales in the US, meanwhile, returned to a ‘good growth path.’

CEO Jes Munk Hansen said "As indicated in our previously announced outlook adjustment, the volatility and hesitation we saw across many markets impacted our third quarter 2025 results. Trade policy uncertainty and geopolitical tensions persisted in the quarter, though not all markets were affected equally.”

Rockwool expects ‘Revenue at level with 2024 in local currencies’ in the full year 2025. It says that it will continue to invest in capacity expansion, decarbonisation and digitalisation.


Germany: The European Commission has conditionally cleared UAE-based Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)'s €11.8bn bid for plastics producer Covestro. To counter possible negative effects, ADNOC has offered to discard its unlimited UAE state subsidisation and to share Covestro's sustainability patents with some competitors, Emerging Markets Watch News has reported.

The deal would reportedly mark the watershed in terms of value of overseas investments by UAE-based entities to date. Covestro’s revenues were €3.2bn in the third quarter of 2025, with a net loss of €47m.


Azerbaijan: Matanat-A has inaugurated a new US$25.3m, 1.5Mm³/yr stone wool insulation plant in Baku’s Garadagh District. Azer News has reported that the plant is equipped with systems produced in Germany, Türkiye and the US. The Azerbaijan Business Development Fund contributed a loan of US$5.88m. The Baku plant will supply the domestic stone wool insulation market, along with the Georgia, Central Asia and Middle East export segments.


China: A deadly fire at the Wang Fuk Court high-rise housing complex in Hong Kong reportedly spread ‘rapidly’ through affected buildings. La Verdad Online News has reported that materials in the complex ‘fuelled’ the spreading fire. Alongside bamboo scaffolding, this reportedly including polystyrene insulation, which was blocking ‘some windows.’

The Wang Fuk Court fire has a death toll of 55, with 279 people missing. Approximately 4800 residents occupy 2000 units across eight 31-floor buildings. Police have arrested three construction firm employees on suspicion of manslaughter.


Germany: A fire destroyed 100 pallets of glass wool outside Knauf Insulation’s Bernburg mineral wool insulation plant in Saxony-Anhalt overnight on 18 – 19 November 2025. The Mitteldeutsche Zeitung newspaper has reported the estimated damages at €30,000.


US: TimberHP has begun production of TimberBoard, the first dry-process wood fibre insulation board manufactured and sold in the US. TimberBoard is made from wood waste fibres, mixed with a small amount of binder or held together by the wood’s natural lignin, then pressed into panels. The boards are often used in building envelope insulation, such as roofs and facades, and offer thermal and acoustic insulation benefits.

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