Create Better Buildings for a better world

Knauf Insulation has always been defined by sustainability. Our products save energy, cut emissions and are designed to make sure buildings are good for the environment and keep people healthy, safe and well.

Over the years we have achieved a great deal. We introduced our ECOSE Technology^®, a binder with no added formaldehyde, that transformed the market; we launched Urbanscape Green Solutions to meet increasing demand for green roofs and walls, and in 2019, Knauf Energy Solutions started operations, a company designed to revolutionise renovation by providing energy saving results based on real performance.

In addition, we have continuously campaigned for energy efficient building renovation to be put at the heart of public policy to take climate action, create jobs and improve lives. And, now more than ever, we believe that renovation should deliver economic growth in a post-COVID-19 world and inspire a once-in-a-lifetime green recovery.

In October 2020, we welcomed a new strategy by the European Commission known as the Renovation Wave. The strategy included plans to at least double the annual rate of renovation in Europe and renovate 35 million buildings by 2030. The Commission said the strategy was designed to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, tackle the fuel poverty that impacts 34 million Europeans and focus on improving Europe’s worst performing buildings from social housing to schools and hospitals.

Additionally, as buildings are responsible for 36% of Europe’s CO₂ emissions, the Renovation Wave will contribute significantly to the EU’s ambition to make Europe climate neutral by 2050.

We welcomed the new strategy, not just in terms of its ambition but also because it puts emphasis on areas critical to its success such as delivering real energy-saving performance, creating clearer more accessible rules for public funding and putting emphasis on construction sustainability.

In all these areas we have the experience, the expertise and the solutions to help, especially since the Commission’s vision is in tune with our goal to Create Better Buildings as part our For A Better World sustainability strategy.

You can read about our long-term commitments here and how they support the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, but our most urgent priority is achieving the short-term concrete targets we have set ourselves for 2025.

These include fully integrating Eco-Design into our innovation programme. Using our Lifecycle Assessments to assess the environmental impact of our products over the entirety of their life — from the sourcing of materials, manufacture, installation to their disposal. Our new Eco-Design tool will help customer understand that environmental impact in an easy-to-understand format.

We will also step up our campaigning to put energy efficiency and building fire safety at the top of government agendas. Building on the success of Knauf Energy Solutions we will also work to put real performance at the centre of any new standards. If a promise of energy savings is made, we want regulation to ensure these savings are delivered, for real.

Finally, of course, all new Knauf Insulation buildings or any renovation of our buildings will meet the sustainability guidelines of our demanding internal specifications.

Over the past decade we have created solid foundations for these targets through continuous campaigning and constant building innovation. Initiatives include:

• Constantly demonstrating the importance of building energy efficiency by working with associations and partners as well as helping decision makers formulate new policies and unlock the finance needed to make renovation widespread.
• Continuously campaigning with global networks to bring more green roofs and walls to our urban environments.
• Innovating a huge new range of products that improve the fire safety of buildings and campaigning for fire safety to be top of the agenda for anyone who decides building policies.
• Creating Knauf Insulation Experience Centers where anyone can come to learn more about how to make their building more energy efficient or safer and where we offer training to help insulation installers do their job as well as possible.
• Constantly pushing the boundaries of what a sustainable building can be. For example, we used the most advanced building expertise available and the most sustainable building materials possible to build our Knauf Insulation Experience Center in Slovenia. We were rewarded with the highest available Platinum certification from DGNB in Germany.
• Working with the European Commission to prepare the launch of a new sustainability building tool called Level(s) in 2020. We contributed research from our Knauf Insulation Experience Center in Slovenia and our green building specialists provided ongoing expertise.
• We are proud that many of our own offices and plant buildings have been certified to the highest third-party sustainable standards by Green Building Rating Schemes. We have even introduced bee hives, wild meadows and bird refuges at our plant in Illange in France.

ABOUT FOR A BETTER WORLD

Knauf Insulation’s new sustainability strategy For A Better World focuses on four key goals: Putting People First, Achieving Zero Carbon, Delivering A Circular Economy and Creating Better Buildings.