China: BASF has adopted a polymeric flame retardant for Neopor in China. It has replaced the flame retardant hexabromo­cyclododecane (HBCD) with PolyFR in its white expandable polystyrene insulation product.

“There is a greater need than ever for energy efficiency in the commercial and residential construction sectors, and EPS insulation materials like Neopor have the right properties to serve this need. Additionally, with the switch to PolyFR, we are now ensuring that the thermal insulation products are suitable for a wide range of sustainable building projects in the future. These high-quality materials can help developers address the increasing market requirements for energy efficient living and working spaces while ensuring regulatory compliance,” said Giorgio Greening, Senior Vice President of BASF’s global styrene foams business unit.

PolyFR is already used as an effective flame retardant in BASF’s portfolio of polystyrene-based insulation materials worldwide, including the Neopor range used in Europe, North America and China. As the first manufacturer in Europe and the first in Korea to switch entirely to PolyFR, BASF is now the first to do so in China.

US: Albemarle Corporation, a flame retardant manufacturer, and ICL, a specialty chemical company, have announced that they have entered into a long-term agreement for the supply of a polymeric flame retardant. The product is manufactured at ICL's facilities in the Netherlands and in Israel using technology licensed from Dow Global Technologies LLC, a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company.

This next generation flame retardant, which is marketed by Albemarle under the brand name GreenCrest and by ICL under the brand name FR122P, is a sustainable alternative for customers transitioning from hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)-based flame retardants currently used by the building industry in extruded polystyrene (XPS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam insulation products. Albemarle will supply ICL with bromine for the production of GreenCrest, associated with the agreement. The agreement is subject to certain conditions precedent, including approval of Israel's Antitrust Authority.

Albemarle and ICL will continue to provide independent marketing, sales and technical service to their respective customers in Europe and around the world to ensure a transition as EPS and XPS producers continue to shift from HBCD to the polymeric flame retardants.

UK: Kingspan has reported that its revenue rose by 47% year-on-year to Euro2.77bn in 2015 from Euro1.89bn in 2014. Its profit after tax rose by 79% to Euro191m from Euro107m. It attributed the result to ‘strong’ organic growth in the UK, North America, Turkey and the Middle East, more than offsetting losses in some European markets and in Australasia.

“We are delighted to report a record performance for the group in 2015 and a strong start to 2016. The two major acquisitions completed last year have performed ahead of our expectations, with Joris Ide and Vicwest significantly expanding our presence in Continental Europe and North America respectively,” said Gene Murtagh, Chief Executive of Kingspan.

New Zealand: Fletcher Building has reported that its net profit rose by 51% year-on-year to US$114m in the half year that ended on 31 December 2015 from US$75.6m in the same period in 2014. Its sales rose by 2.5% to US$2.94bn from US$2.87bn. It attributed this to growth in its building products and distribution businesses making up for weaker earnings from Formica and New Zealand housing developments.

Fletcher Building reported that gypsum wallboard volumes via its Building Products division rose by 9% in the half year. Volumes of performance board rose by 12%. Sales volumes of insulation rose by 12% in New Zealand and 9% in Australia. It noted that its market share has also improved in both insulation markets due to competitive pricing following the strengthening of the US Dollar.