Ireland/UK: Mannok says that it has undertaken extensive preparatory measures to help its operations transition smoothly when the Brexit transition period ends on 31 December 2020. While keeping operations unchanged, the group has formed new legal entities such as Mannok GB, which will deal with UK customers. The group acknowledged that prices would depend on the future tariff arrangement between the UK and the EU, but would remain in line with market pricing. It added that the same effects would impacts competitors, who import significant amounts of raw materials from Europe.

The group said that it has been working closely with suppliers for over 18 months to ensure the security of its supply chains. It has capacity at its sites to store enough raw materials for polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulation for a ‘number of weeks’’ of production.

Chief financial officer Dara O’Reilly said, “A key priority for us in all of this was to ensure that the service we can provide to our customers in a post-Brexit environment is as seamless as possible. We’ve made the changes to our structures; we’ve made the changes to how we operate and as a result of that, regardless of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, we’re ready.”

Denmark: Rockwool has received approval from the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) for its new decarbonisation goals. The goals consist of a planned 38% reduction in plant greenhouse gas emissions and 20% reduction in absolute lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions between 2019 and 2034.

Chief executive officer (CEO) Jens Birgersson said, “We’re proud to be among the few energy-intensive manufacturing companies whose science-based emission reduction targets SBTI has verified and approved. These new targets build on the strong foundation that we are already a net carbon negative company. Though not many companies can make that claim, we also know it’s not enough, which is why we have committed to this ambitious decarbonisation pathway.” He added, “Achieving these emission reduction targets will be an important step in realising the global ambition to reduce society’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. By demonstrating that an energy-intensive manufacturing company can achieve these targets, we hope to inspire others to take actions to help create a greener, more sustainable future.”

US: The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) has named Owens Corning on its Climate Change A List of companies that took actions to cut emissions, reduce climate impacts and help build the low-carbon economy in 2020. 270 companies won the top status from a pool of 5800 applicants. The CDP also named the company amongst 106 companies on the 2020 Water Security A List.

UK: The International Living Future Institute (ILFI) has awarded Knauf Insulation’s Supafil range of blowing glass wool insulation with Declare Red List Free Certification. The label signifies that the products contain none of a list of agreed harmful chemicals. The company says that its Supafil range, which is produced using 80% recycled glass, is the first blowing wool solution in Europe to receive the certification.

Director of housing and specification Matt Prowse said, “For the first time, people can see the environmental impact of individual construction products at a glance, in a clear and transparent way. For architects and housebuilders, using products with the Declare label – like the Supafil range – is good for business. It ensures installer wellbeing and is a powerful point of difference to customers in a competitive market.”