WE CARE FOR THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE OUR PRODUCTS, THE PEOPLE WHO USE THEM AND THE WORLD WE ALL DEPEND ON
Whilst we are dedicated to supplying sustainable high performance insulation solutions for enhanced energy efficiency in buildings, we also continually strive for improvements in our manufacturing and supply chain operations so to improve quality and minimise our impact on the environment. All Knauf Insulation production locations have state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment and meet the highest quality standards as well as they are supported by an ongoing research and development program.
As the market leader and a non-stop innovator, quality excellence and sustainability are at the heart of everything we do; whilst we have a strong focus on the thermal performance of our products, our pursuit of sustainability has much wider horizons:
Raw Materials
Our Glass Mineral Wool insulation solutions contain up to 80% of recycled materials, the majority of which comes from the recently opened Veolia Glass Cullet facility. By maximising the amount of recycled glass cullet in the manufacture of our products, we minimise our need for mineral raw materials.
Our revolutionary bio-based binder, ECOSE® Technology avoids the use of petrochemicals. It is 70% less energy intensive than traditional binders, reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions at our manufacturing facilities.
Our work to ensure safe and legal operations in our supply chain has enabled us to achieve certification to the Building Research Establishment's responsible sourcing standard BES 6001.
Manufacturing
Partnering with Siemens, we are unlocking efficiency opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint, saving the equivalent annual energy usage of almost 800 homes.
Our commitment to fair and safe working practices in our own facilities is embedded in our code of conduct, and reflected in the OHSAS 18001 certification covering all our production sites.
All our facilities are also certified to ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 standards.
We avoid waste and prevent pollution; we segregate factory waste to maximise recycling and to meet our expectation of sending zero waste to landfill from our UK plants.
Packaging & Distribution
Our industry-leading compression-packaging technology allows us to load more product onto each truck that leaves our factories. This means less packaging, fewer vehicles on our roads, so less CO2 emissions. It also means less storage space required for our customers.
We have recently been trimming the weight of the pallets we use in the UK, cutting around 2kg per pallet, equating to a total saving of around 5,000 trees/year.
Building
Our products release very low levels of volatile substances which affect indoor air quality, attested by their certification to Eurofins Gold Certificate for Indoor Air Comfort.
The overall environmental performance of our products is reported in Environmental Product Declarations. They are available for all our products, verified by an independent third-party and comply with the European standard EN 15804. They are also registered with the Europe-wide ECO-Platform.
Our Glass Mineral Wool and Blowing Wool products are also registered in the BRE's UK-specific Certified Environmental Profiles scheme. The majority of our products, both Glass and Rock Mineral Wool, are rated A+ in the BRE Green Guide.
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Our entire Glass Mineral Wool product range has been awarded the DECLARE 'Red List Free' label.
Whether you are specifying or installing, DECLARE aims to show you that our Glass Mineral Wool range of products is insulation that you can trust. This is demonstrated in a similar way to that of food nutrition labels. The DECLARE label shows clear and transparent details such as:
- Where a product comes from,
- What it's made of,
- Whether it contains chemicals featured on the DECLARE ‘Red List’. These are substances to avoid because they could be harmful to health and the environment.
To achieve the DECLARE label, we’ve gone through rigorous testing and disclosed the entire composition of our Glass Mineral Wool products down to 0.01%. Our Glass Mineral Wool range is manufactured with up to 80% recycled content and the remaining percentage composed entirely from Red List Free raw materials.
DECLARE also contributes to green building rating systems such as LEED and WELL. This means you can use Knauf Insulation Glass Mineral Wool products to deliver buildings that are proven to be healthy and good for the environment.
Through our participation in the DECLARE label scheme, architects, house builders and installers can verify their own sustainability and health and safety credentials too.