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.
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.
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.
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.
