Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

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."

Finland: Stora Enso has launched NeoLigno, a bio-based binder for mineral and glass wool insulation, designed to replace formaldehyde and isocyanates. NeoLigno is produced from lignin, a byproduct from the pulp industry. Stora Enso says that it offers superior mechanical strength and performs better in humid conditions than classic binders.

Senior research and development specialist Sara Faldt said "We see no major modifications or redesigns needed in the production line for companies who wish to make the sustainable switch and implement NeoLigno."

North America: Knauf Insulation has launched its new Knauf Performance+ range of glass wool insulation for heating, ventilation and air conditioning applications. The launch of the range, which is asthma and allergy friendly and formaldehyde-free, coincided with the start of Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month on 1 May 2024.

Knauf Insulation said “In a world where indoor air is two-to-five times more polluted than outdoor air, improving indoor air quality is critical.” Senior vice president sales, marketing and innovation Nathan Walker added “By the end of 2024, Knauf commits to eliminating formaldehyde from all its remaining products. This move sets a new standard in the production of high-performing building materials.”

Germany: Kingspan acquired the Ronneburg stone wool insulation plant in Thuringia from Karl Bachl on 4 April 2024. Karl Bachl says that the divestment will help it to concentrate more on its core business. Besides insulation, the company also supplies construction services, prefabricated buildings and stone and precast concrete elements.

Ireland-based Kingspan plans to use the acquisition to grow its production capacity and ‘complete’ its insulation product offering.

US: Owens Corning has published its 2023 Sustainability Report, highlighting its advances in sustainability in the past year. These included a 59% share of revenues from reduced-CO₂ products, with a 25% share of revenues from 14 products certified as produced with 100% renewable electricity. Scope 1 and 2 emissions fell by 28% from 2018 levels, in line with the group’s 50% 2030 reduction target. It launched a pilot bitumen felt shingle recycling programme, aimed at recycling 2Mt/yr of shingles in the US by 2030. Further, Owens Corning reduced its generation of landfill waste by 14% from 2018 levels, and launched a Circular Economy Recycling Technology Innovation Laboratory in Granville, Ohio. In 2023, the group’s incident rate was 81% below the industry average, and it remains on track to meet its 2030 inclusion and diversity goals.

Senior vice president and chief sustainability officer David Rabuano said “Our 2030 sustainability goals are growing ever closer, and we believe that the targets we have set for ourselves are well within our reach. This confidence is the result of our employees’ unparalleled engagement and enthusiasm for our mission coupled with our investments in the innovation required to execute new solutions.”

Chair and CEO Brian Chambers said “Owens Corning demonstrated outstanding financial and sustainability results in 2023, showcasing the power of our company’s mission to build a sustainable future through material innovation. This report reflects the global scope of our people and our products and the many ways they work to make the world a better place.”

Owens Corning recorded net sales of US$9.68bn in 2023, down by 1% from US$9.76bn in 2022, while its adjusted earnings before interest and taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 2% to US$2.31bn.

Uzbekistan: Russia-based TechnoNICOL to invest US$13.1m in the construction of a new extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation plant in Angren. AK&M News has reported that the plant will have a capacity of 300,000m²/yr. It will produce TechnoNICOL’s range of 20 – 120mm-thick XPS insulation. Construction will commence in 2024 and the plant will employ 50 people when operational.

Azerbaijan: Russia-based Technostyle has indicated its intention to launch its polyisocyanurate (PIR) sandwich panel insulation on the Azerbaijani market.

The Azerbaijan Industry Review newspaper has reported that Technostyle's PIR panels project manager Aleksey Demyanov said "We are confident in the quality of our sandwich panels and engineering solutions, which can significantly contribute to the construction industry. We strive to become reliable partners for Azerbaijani construction companies, offering them advanced technologies and helping them to implement ambitious projects."

Belgium: Recticel has launched a new range of polyurethane insulation board products that contain 25% bio-circular raw materials. The new ‘Impact’ range reduces CO₂ emissions by an average of 43% compared to a standard board while offering equivalent insulation performance. These new products are an important element of Recticel's proactive approach to reaching net zero emissions by 2050, as committed to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

The Belgium-based insulation producer also completed its divestment of its Engineered Foams division in mid-June 2023. The bulk of the business was sold to US-based Carpenter Co for an enterprise value of around Euro454m with two UK-based units sold to GIL Investments, as part of the competition clearance provided by the UK Competition & Markets Authority (CMA). Following the divestment of its Engineered Foams division, Recticel has become solely an insulation manufacturer.

UK/Ireland: Knauf Insulation UK & Ireland has launched ‘OmniFit Slab 32’, a 32 lambda glass mineral wool insulation slab product for use in light steel frame systems (SFS) as part of a rainscreen façade or other external wall build-ups.

Liliya Luke, the Glass Mineral Wool Product Manager at Knauf Insulation, said “We have launched OmniFit Slab 32 to help our customers deliver the low U-values required, without compromising on fire safety, acoustic performance or sustainability.” He added, “Specifiers can now optimise their rainscreen façade systems by adding the benefits of glass mineral wool to their build-up - delivering acoustic performance, and reduced embodied carbon compared to rock-only solutions, with an insulation specification that remains completely non-combustible.”

The new product is primarily designed for use with ‘Rocksilk RainScreen Slab’ when used in rainscreen applications, and is suitable for use in the external wall systems of all residential buildings over 11m tall and relevant residential buildings over 18m tall. It is the latest addition to Knauf Insulation's OmniFit range of glass mineral wool roll and slab products.

US: Owens Corning has published plans for a new extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation plant in Russellville, Arkansas. The Courier newspaper has reported that the plant will produce the company's Foamular NGX brand insulation. It will employ an estimated 50 people.

Owens Corning previously invested US$24.5m in an expansion to its Fort Smith glass and mineral wool insulation plant in the state, also creating 50 new jobs.