Sweden: ECO Byggolit, a Swedish producer of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, has applied for corporate reconstruction due to reduced demand from the construction industry. The company, which was established in 2009, has 13 employees and annual sales of Euro6.73m. The company's products are mainly used for insulation of buildings and as a filler in roads.

France: Multinational chemical producer Arkema has patented the use of Forane(R) 1233zd as a blowing agent in the manufacture of polyurethane foams. The new molecule, known in its development phase as AFA-L1, is high purity trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene, a liquid halogenated olefin. It offers improvements in energy performance and environmental benefits over existing blowing agents.

"In all of these evaluations, in several different polyurethane foam applications, Forane(R) 1233zd blowing agent has consistently demonstrated outstanding ease of use," noted Nancy Storoz, Global Business Manager for Arkema fluorochemicals foams and 134a refrigerants, "It requires minimal equipment modifications and formulation changes, while outperforming HCFCs, HFCs and hydrocarbons in terms of energy efficiency, R value, and vapor pressure."

In trials at a manufacturer of household refrigerators and freezers, an unoptimised system based on Forane(R) 1233zd blowing agent delivered a 3% improvement in energy efficiency versus HFC 245fa and surpassed 2014 DOE energy standards. In other evaluations conducted by Arkema, Forane(R) 1233zd blowing agent provided a 6% improvement in insulation value versus HFC 245fa, a 7% improvement versus HCFC 141b, and a 16% improvement versus hydrocarbons.

Target markets for Forane(R) 1233zd blowing agent include polyurethane foams used in the manufacture of household refrigerators and freezers, commercial refrigeration, spray foam, and polyurethane panels for commercial and residential building and construction applications.

Austria: Wienerberger AG has announced that it has completed the construction of a new production plant in Haiding, Upper Austria. The plant will produce the Porotherm W.i. clay blocks. W.i. stands for 'with thermal insulation', which means the insulating material, natural mineral wool, is already integrated in the clay block.

US/Canada: According to a survey by the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA), US producers used over 0.70Mt of recycled glass in the production of residential, commercial, industrial and air-handling thermal and acoustical insulation in 2012. Canadian members used around 0.14Mt of recycled glass. The survey investigated members' use of pre- and post-consumer recycled materials in insulation products in 2012.

US and Canadian facilities used over 0.22Mt of recycled blast furnace slag in the production of thermal and acoustical insulation. Since the industry's recycling programme began in 1992, NAIMA members' plants have diverted around 20Mt of recycled materials from the waste stream.

"NAIMA members are committed to promoting sustainability by using recycled materials to produce energy-saving insulation products that improve a building's energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact," said Kate Offringa, President and CEO of NAIMA.