Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

New Zealand: Parliament has passed the Building Act, allowing the import of ‘thousands’ of building products, including gypsum wallboard, insulation and cladding systems. The act allows for cited standards, according to which the Minister for Building Construction will be able to issue a notice to recognise overseas product standards and certification schemes for local use.

Peru: Holcim has acquired walling systems producer Compañía Minera Luren. Compañía Minera Luren’s walling systems integrate insulation and mortars.

Holcim Latin America Regional Head Oliver Osswald said that the business will complement Holcim’s operations in Peru. Osswald noted that “Compañía Minera Luren’s walling systems will advance Holcim’s ability to offer customers fully-integrated end-to-end solutions from foundation and flooring to walling and roofing.”

UK: Rockwool subsidiary Wetherby Wall Systems has launched SOQEL A2, an external wall insulation system for use below damp-proof course. The system integrates Rockwool’s Coverrock X-2 pre-coated insulation with Heck K+A SL coating and Heck CER mesh. Specification Online News has reported that the system complies with the A2-s1,d0 UK fire standard for buildings over 11m tall.

Technical director Joe Ragdale said “We have worked alongside our Rockwool sister company Heck in Germany to launch this innovative system into the UK market. This solution provides architects and contractors working on remediation projects with a compliant, durable, and efficient way to enhance building safety.”

Austria: The insulation association Building Envelope and Insulation Industry (GDI) has reported a 1.9Mm³ decline in annual insulation sales since 2021. The hardest-hit segment was reportedly alternative insulation, with declines in cellulose, sheep wool and hemp. The OÖ Nachrichten newspaper has reported that the association attributed the decline to an on-going ‘property sector downturn,’ with homeowners stalling their refurbishment plans. The GDI praised the recent easing of lending guidelines and renewed submissions for reserved funding under the Sanierungsbonus insulation scheme.

GDI Chair Roland Hebbel said “A rebound in the construction industry is becoming increasingly urgent.”

Germany: BASF has completed a pilot, with Frankfurt-based housing society ABG and external thermal insulation composite systems producer Sto, testing an insulation board based on expandable polystyrene (EPS) containing recycled material. Around 10% of the polystyrene was replaced with a recycled substitute during the test. The results showed that the newly developed board met the same quality standards as standard market products. The sustainability targets of ABG was one of the key impetuses for the project.

BASF used its Neopor F 5 Mcycled product in the test. It is a graphite-containing expandable polystyrene granulate that contains 10% recycled material. The recycled material comes from mechanically recycled EPS waste. The aim is to other byproducts for the production of Neopor Mcycled in the future, such as EPS off-cuts from construction sites.