Measurable carbon reduction just 95 days from installation of mineral wool
Knauf Insulation’s mineral wool insulation reduces operational carbon from buildings by 3.6 million tons every year – the equivalent of removing 2.5 million cars from our roads in Europe. And that benefit starts just 95 days from installation.
Our buildings aren’t going anywhere – in fact, our cities are growing. So, how can we decarbonize our buildings fast? The solution is simple but very effective: insulation. Insulation minimizes energy waste through the building envelope, which can reduce energy demand in buildings by 44%. The result is buildings that are better for our people, more cost-efficient to run, and better for the planet.
But what about our mineral wool insulation’s carbon cost?
Insulation reduces operational carbon from buildings but, like all manufactured products, it also carries a carbon cost. The emissions generated from making, packaging, and transporting the product all contribute to its ‘embodied carbon’. As a manufacturer we have a responsibility to ensure the carbon footprint of our products is offset by their carbon reduction out in the world.
Our insulation repays its ‘carbon debt’ in just 95 days.
Our study, in partnership with sustainability experts Ramboll, showed it only takes 95 days from installation, to offset the embodied carbon of our mineral wool insulation. From that point on, the benefit equates to 3.6 million tons of operational carbon reduction every year.
That’s comparable to the environmental impact of 163 million trees or removing 2.5 million cars every year from our roads. Products that are lower in embodied carbon, allow us to see that positive impact sooner. They minimize the carbon cost and make insulation do more to decarbonize our society.
What’s the next step?
A better understanding of insulation’s carbon footprint is important, but it’s only one step on our journey to net zero. At Knauf Insulation, we don’t just observe changes in our industry; we are actively shaping the future. While our solutions significantly contribute to cutting operational carbon, the manufacturing process is still carbon intensive. That’s why we are making substantial investments to decrease our carbon footprint across scopes 1, 2, and 3, as part of our commitment to a 15% reduction in the embodied carbon of our products by 2025.
Learn more about our sustainability strategy and our roadmap for reaching net zero, in our Annual Review 2023.
1 Source: Eurima, Why Insulate? Why Renovate? With Mineral Wool Insulation
2 https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/projecting-europes-metro-population-growth-2021-2100/