Our world is changing. Since the 1800s, human activities have played a pivotal role in driving climate change, predominantly through the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas. This has led to the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane, originating from everyday activities such as driving cars, heating buildings, and land clearance. Energy, industry, transport, and agriculture are among the main sectors causing greenhouse gases; however, it is the construction sector that might have one of the biggest roles to play. The construction industry contributes to nearly 40% of all global emissions, 11% of those come from building materials. It is also estimated that construction and demolition waste, make up to 50 percent of New Zealand's total waste going to landfill. Sadly, the industry is also one of the slowest to modernise.
One company committed to change and making a difference, is Kingspan. Kingspan is the global leader in advanced insulation and building envelope solutions. It is their mission to accelerate a net zero emissions future with the wellbeing of people and planet at its heart.
Victoria Elvin is the GM of Building Technology & Technical Services at Kingspan New Zealand, she says advanced material science and digitalisation hold the key to addressing our global challenges.
“We understand that change and innovation is needed, one of the ways that Kingspan is exploring potential solutions is through the development of our environmental programme called Planet Passionate. A 10-year sustainability programme, launched in 2020, it aims to tackle three big global challenges: climate change, circularity, and protection of the natural world. Through Planet Passionate we are determined to reduce our manufacturing carbon emissions to as close to zero as technically possible, we want to do this alongside halving carbon intensity in our primary supply chain. We believe advanced materials, building systems and digital technologies can play an important role in helping to address the global issues of circularity and climate change. Working in partnership with industry, and through IKON, our global innovation centre, we are confident that we can help support and accelerate the transition to a clean energy, resource efficient future,” says Victoria.
Analysis shows that Kingspan’s global business impact lies in upstream raw materials, with 82% of Kingspan’s green emissions generated from the collection and production of these materials. To combat this, Kingspan have set targets including a 50% reduction in the embodied carbon intensity of primary raw materials and a 90% reduction in absolute greenhouse gas emissions.
The increased use of biogenic materials is just one tangible way Kingspan are contributing to their targets. Biogenic materials come from living organisms or biomass. They are renewable, have lower embodied carbon and have a much safer end of life. Biogenic materials include well known products like wood and wool, through to innovative solutions like algae and mycelium. With a focus on decarbonisation, biogenic materials absorb carbon from the atmosphere and keep it stored. There are three types of biogenic materials, products from agriculture and plant base, products from fungi and bacteria and finally biproducts from animals such as wool.
“Kingspan has recognised a shift in market and the demand for more biogenic materials. In 2023, Kingspan launched HemKor in the European market, it is our first bio-based insulation product largely made of hemp. Hemp is fast growing, with it only taking four to five months from seed to maturity. Hemp can absorb between 9 and 13 tonnes of CO2 per hectare harvested. It is a remarkable plant,” says Victoria.
For the New Zealand market, Kingspan has launched Troldtekt acoustic wood wool panels in 2024 and will be launching Steico in early 2025. Steico is a wood fibre insulation board that is used on the external side of the frame to mitigate thermal bridging.
“Only biogenic materials act as CO2 sinks, this is why building with biogenic materials, such as wood, is recognised worldwide as a climate protection measure. Kingspan intends to bring in Steico sheathing boards to New Zealand, this product has a carbon storage of 200-420 kg/bcm. We are very excited to see how this product will be received in the NZ market,” says Victoria.
For Kingspan to utilise biogenic materials, it was important that certain parameters were met, including thermal and physical properties. A wide range of testing and screening including environmental, and fire, were conducted to ensure they were up to the task. Thermal conductivity was the most important factor when studying materials to utilise for insulation.
With many new and innovative products on the market, deciding on which product to use is completely building specific, says Victoria.
“Building specific is an area of development and innovation that Kingspan understand. There are new levels of performance criteria from customers which includes sustainability and human wellbeing. Every building is unique, with its own criteria. Kingspan is adding new insulation technologies to our portfolio, so we can customise to the needs of our customers,” says Victoria.
Kingspan recognises the need to be transparent on what a bioproduct is. To do this, Victoria says the product will be distinguished with a mark.
“To ensure transparency and trust, Kingspan have designed a trust mark, ‘BioKor’ which certifies a minimum 80% biobased content. The BioKor mark will be on products designed with largely biomaterials and with lower embodied carbon, easily distinguishing the product as in the category of biogenic within the Kingspan portfolio,” she says.
HemKor and Steico are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Kingspan’s new and innovative products that meet our global environmental needs. To learn more about Kingspan’s Planet Passionate program in NZ and its development of biobased construction materials, contact info@kingspaninsulation.co.nz. Their technical and specification teams can help you find the right product for your project and sustainability goals.