![]() Based on its watertightness, Gutex insulation serves as both insulation and a weather-resistant barrier. According to the company, its recipe of 95 percent recycled spruce/fir, 4 percent polyurethane resin, and 1 percent paraffin makes the material carbon negative. Gutenberg, Germany–based Gutex creates rigid fiberboards made from post-industrial recycled wood chips coming from sustainably managed forests. ![]() Wood fibers are also used for building insulation. The product contains no chemical irritants, such as carcinogens, as some other forms of insulation do. Bonded Logic saturates the material fibers with borates to deliver a Class-A fire rating as well as to inhibit mildew and mold growth. Chandler, Ariz.–based construction materials company Bonded Logic manufactures its UltraTouch insulation from 80 percent post-consumer recycled blue jeans by weight. In his study, recycled cellulose outperformed all non-biobased materials.Īnother familiar product is recycled denim insulation. He analyzed the carbon footprint of these materials based on the same insulating capacity-in other words, based on the same R-value, regardless of the amount of material required. In a 2017 study published in the journal Energy Efficiency, University of Ljubljana engineer Roman Kunič compared the embodied carbon of various insulating products. “Recycled as cellulose insulation, that’s enough paper to insulate 220 energy-efficient new homes every 10 minutes.” According to Alex Wilson, founding editor of BuildingGreen, a “fiberizing” process allows cellulose insulation manufacturers to improve the thermal performance and cleanliness of the final product.Īlthough cellulose exhibits a lower R-value than a material like closed-cell polyurethane at the same thickness, it is essential to look at the combination of insulating value and carbon footprint. “Based on our calculations of the most recent statistics from the American Forest and Paper Association, approximately 1,126,330 pounds of paper become waste about every 10 minutes in the United States,” said Dan Lea, executive director of the Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association, in a press release. Biobased materials like cellulose or wood fiber insulation can attain this standard-particularly when a large percentage of recycled content is used.Ĭellulose insulation is typically composed of 80 percent post-consumer recycled newspaper, with the balance comprising fire-retardants and binders. ![]() Other products, like fiberglass or mineral wool batt insulation, consist primarily of nontoxic substances (glass or basalt fibers, respectively) yet still require a measurable quantity of processing, although their carbon footprint is generally lower than that of fossil fuel-based insulation.Īlthough strong support will undoubtedly continue for all of these materials, we should seek the highest environmental performance in both embodied and operating phases (or more holistically, all phases) of the material life cycle. However, increased focus on material performance-referring here to the intrinsic environmental properties of materials-points to two concerns in the most common insulation types: embodied energy and toxicity.Įxpanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene, and closed-cell polyurethane are petroleum derivatives that exhibit high embodied energy and include ecologically questionable ingredients, such as benzene, styrene, or chlorofluorocarbons, in their processing. Generally speaking, the higher the R-value, the more energy saved (depending on the climate). Thus far, green building methods have prioritized building operating energy with regard to the insulating capability. However, one everyday element-insulation-is currently drawing scrutiny and disagreement within sustainable design circles. The pursuit of green building is characterized by widely accepted approaches such as limiting the use of raw materials, minimizing pollution, and increasing energy efficiency. Photo by Smole courtesy Adobe Stock Traditional mineral wool insulation ![]()
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