Türkiye: The Turkish government has introduced new rules on the minimum thickness of insulation used in urban construction. Buildings in Ankara must be fitted with 9cm-thick insulation, compared to 6cm previously, while those in Istanbul must be fitted with 8cm-thick insulation, compared to 5cm previously. Suar Energy News has reported that this accompanies new government regulations that require all new builds to source at least 5% of their electricity renewably, as part of a drive for Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (NZEB).

US: Owens Corning has achieved inclusion on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index 2022, topping the Building Materials category. The producer scored 88 out of 100 for sustainable performance across multiple indices. It recorded full marks for environmental reporting, materiality, recycling strategy, risk and crisis management and social reporting.

Owens Corning's senior vice president and chief sustainability officer David Rabuano said, "Earning placement on this index for the 13th consecutive year is a validation of the daily efforts of our colleagues across our operations globally. I am proud that their hard work and diligence in our sustainability efforts continues to be the driver of our leadership on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index - and an ongoing contributor to achieving our goals for 2030 and beyond."

US: Saint-Gobain North America has started a program where windshield glass scraps are recycled and reused in the production of insulation. Waste glass from the company’s Saint-Gobain Sekurit’s unit at Garden Grove in California is sent to CertainTeed Insulation’s facility at Chowchilla, where it is use to make fibreglass insulation. Saint-Gobain is working with Shark Solutions on the project. The initiative started earlier in 2022.

Hungary/Serbia: Building products producer Masterplast and construction company Market Epito have entered into a strategic cooperation agreement to build mineral wool plants in Central Europe to meet anticipated demand for insulation. Plans for a first plant to be built in either Hungary or Serbia could be finalised in the first quarter of 2023. Joint-venture companies will be set-up on a 50:50 basis to support the new plants. As part of the deal, both companies would endeavour to purchase mineral wool from the new production units where possible for Market Epito’s construction projects and Masterplast’s commercial activities. The companies also hope to use public funding to support the building of new plants due to their importance to the national economy.