Insulation industry news from Global Insulation
Knauf Insulation launches sustainability credentials online
09 February 2022Germany: Knauf Insulation has compiled its sustainability targets, progress and related information on its products online. The so-called ‘sustainability chapter’ is intended to highlight how Knauf Insulation products can make buildings more sustainable and also charts the company’s progress to reduce its own environmental impact as part of its ‘For A Better World’ initiative.
Jure Šumi, Knauf Insulation’s Group Digital and Brand Manager, said “The new chapter on sustainability is a showcase of valuable information for anyone who wants to create better buildings while taking care of the environment and society.” He added, “It offers valuable insight into how our solutions can lower the environmental impact of buildings with news and case histories in every section highlighting what Knauf Insulation is doing For A Better World.”
The newly organised section on Knauf Insulation’s website lets interested parties download Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for its products. In addition, the site offers downloadable documents showing how Knauf Insulation products can contribute points to the world’s green building rating systems such as BREEAM, LEED, DGNB and WELL.
The company’s also explains online how it is reducing the environmental impact of its operations in line with its ‘For A Better World’ sustainability strategy. It has set targets for 2025 including sending zero waste to landfill, cutting its accident rate by 55% and reducing the embodied carbon of products by 15%. Knauf Insulation promises regular updates on its progress and initiatives to achieve these targets.
Owens Corning prepares to launch new extruded polystyrene foam insulation product line
12 August 2020US: Owens Corning has announced a new line of extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam insulation products called Foamular NGX. It is set to go on sale in the US and Canada in January 2021. It says that the proprietary blowing agent in the products deliver a 90% reduction in global warming potential (GWP) without sacrificing product performance. It is Underwriters Laboratory (UL) listed, Factory Mutual (FM) approved and compliant with regulations set to take effect in Canada and some US states in January 2021. The environmental benefits of the products will be reflected in a new Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). The new product line will retain the signature Owens Corning pink colour.
DuPont to launch extruded polystyrene foam insulation product with lower greenhouse gas emissions
17 July 2020US: DuPont plans to launch new extruded polystyrene foam insulation products in its Styrofoam brand with reduced global warming potential (GWP) from the start of 2021 to meet its 2030 Sustainability Goals and comply with adopted and upcoming state and provincial hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) regulations throughout the US and Canada. The company also expects a reduction in embodied carbon to be reflected in an updated Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which will be available with the new products.
"We are taking a thoughtful, phased approach to launching this latest Styrofoam innovation to ensure we are providing a sustainable, code-approved solution that does not sacrifice the performance our customers have come to trust," said Tim Lacey, Global Vice President & General Manager, DuPont Performance Building Solution.
Brazil/Finland: Saint-Gobain Isover has obtained Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for its products in Brazil and Finland. It has obtained five EPDs in Brazil where it has become the first insulation company in the country to obtain EPDs registered with Environdec. In Finland it has published three new verified EPDs through the Norwegian EPD platform EPD Norge.
Armacell presents environmental product declarations (EPDs) for its elastomeric insulation materials
17 June 2015Luxembourg: Armacell is now the first manufacturer of flexible technical insulation materials to present environmental product declarations (EPDs), which are based on an independent life cycle assessment (LCA).
EPDs are becoming more important in the construction industry as they provide a transparent, independent and reproducible analysis of the environmental impacts of construction products and give detailed information with sound data and figures. As a 'sustainability passport,' EPDs form the basis for designing green buildings in accordance with certification schemes such as LEED, BREEAM or DGNB.
Comparing the primary energy input identified in the Armacell LCA with the energy saving achieved shows that using Armaflex insulation materials saves 140 times more energy than is needed for their manufacturing, transport and disposal. The energy input needed to manufacture Armaflex is paid off after just 50 days.
"With the EPDs we create a unique degree of transparency for our Armaflex products. We provide architects, specifiers and those inviting tenders with reliable information for designing sustainable building projects. At the same time we commit ourselves to continuing to improve the environmental friendliness of our products and thus sharpening our competitive edge," said Patrick Mathieu, CEO of the Armacell Group.