Spain: Knauf Ibérica has announced the launch of Etiks, a façade system comprised of Aquapanel Outdoor mineral wool and expanded polystyrene boards. Alimarket-Construcción News has reported that the system is compatible with Knauf ColorMix technology, enabling rapid on-site colouring of finishes or primers.

Product manager Isabel Gómez said "The external thermal insulation composite system is very interesting for refurbishing or constructing buildings for energy efficiency, greater comfort and savings in air conditioning."

Romania: Saint-Gobain Romania has launched the Saint-Gobain National Trophy contest. The contest recognises exceptional projects due for completion by the end of 2024 which incorporate materials supplied by Saint-Gobain Romania. Local press has reported that judges will evaluate projects’ excellence in execution, sustainability and effective utilisation of their incorporated Saint-Gobain products. The company will receive submissions until 31 October 2024.

Switzerland: Holcim Technology has patented a new process to produce boards from isocyanurate foam, Chemicals & Chemistry has reported. The board has a polyurethane or polyisocyanurate foam core, produced by reacting an isocyanate compound with an aromatic polyester polyol in the presence of a blowing agent mixture.

Sweden: Rockwool says that it plans to build a new 100,000t/yr stone wool insulation plant in Eskilstuna, Södermanland. When commissioned after June 2027, the plant will serve the Swedish and Finnish markets. It will run on low-carbon electricity from Sweden’s national grid.

Nordics regional managing director Frank Larsen said "Our customers are increasingly demanding low-carbon footprint building materials to achieve their own decarbonisation objectives as well as EU-wide targets in the Energy Efficiency and Energy Performance of Buildings directives. Rockwool's proprietary large-scale electrical melting technology, drawing on Sweden's abundant supply of low-carbon electricity, will help meet this need, which we expect to grow over time as the EU directives get implemented."