Kingspan Insulated Panels North America recently released the 2023 Sustainability Report, recapping Planet Passionate project milestones over the last year.
Planet Passionate is our 10-year sustainability commitment aimed at effecting positive change on three global challenges: climate change, circularity, and the protection of the natural world.
In 2023, the third year of Kingspan’s Planet Passionate journey, we made significant strides toward our energy and carbon efficiency, circularity, and water targets.
Energy + Carbon Efficiency
Rising temperatures, wildfires, droughts, and flooding events were some of the devastating impacts of climate change in 2023. To mitigate the climate change crisis, the building and construction industry, the largest emitter of climate damaging greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), must step up efforts to decarbonize the built environment. As a global manufacturer in this sector, we recognize our role in limiting GHG emissions throughout the life cycle of our products.
To achieve the company’s goal of becoming net-zero carbon by 2030, we continued to focus on generating onsite renewable energy and purchasing direct renewable energy to minimize our carbon footprint.
In 2023, we completed a 1.1 MW photovoltaic (PV) system in DeLand, Florida. Now, 100% of our owned facilities are utilizing on-site solar PV.
With an unwavering commitment to producing low embodied carbon products, Kingspan’s QuadCore® panels continued to have the lowest global warming potential across the product category in North America. Additionally, our site-specific, supplier-specific environmental product declarations provide customers with clear and transparent granular data on products to help inform sustainable building material selections.
Key results of these efforts in 2023 included:
3,037 tCO2e scope 1 emissions (direct emissions) and scope 2 emissions (indirect emissions from production), a 5% reduction from 2020 baseline
5.95 GWh total direct renewable energy utilized
1.68 GWh of total direct renewable energy generated
Improving Circularity
Globally, the construction industry uses almost 50% of materials extracted annually and is responsible for an estimated 30% of all waste-to-landfill, contributing to a significant portion of GHG emissions. To support the transition to a circular economy, we are committed to investing in circular processes and practices.
One of the ways we achieved this in 2023 was through a continuing partnership with Atlanta-based Belter Tech, a manufacturer of sustainable building materials made from reclaimed waste products. Working with Belter Tech, we diverted more than 100,000 pounds of polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam waste from landfills last year.
Our Caledon, Ontario, facility became Kingspan’s first zero-waste-to-landfill site in 2023, diverting 395 metric tons of material. Reducing waste while supporting the community, the Caledon facility also donated panels to local animal shelters to create outdoor homes for cats.
At our Langley, British Columbia, plant, the team installed equipment onsite to granulate mineral fiber waste which represents 17% of divisional waste. The new process enabled us to send nearly all waste material back to the supplier for reuse.
Key results of these efforts in 2023 included:
4,996 metric tons of waste diverted from landfills
38% reduction in waste to landfill compared to 2020
71% waste diversion rate across all sites
One zero-waste-to-landfill facility (Caledon, Ontario)
Water Consumption
Last year, climate change exacerbated water issues across the U.S. including persistent drought conditions that created water scarcity issues and large storms that increased flooding risks. With most of our North American sites located in water stressed communities, we continued to step up efforts to reduce water consumption and to recycle water.
Our water efficiency program decreased divisional water usage by more than 573,000 gallons. In addition, harvested rainwater accounted for approximately 27% of water usage at our DeLand plant and at least 6.4% of divisional consumption. With the success of the rainwater harvesting program, we plan to expand the program to other plants in North America.
In Monterrey, Mexico, where persistent drought conditions triggered water rations in 2023, our team reduced consumption by more than 50% from 2022 through water conservation strategies like collecting water condensing on air handling units and cooling coils.
Key results of these efforts in 2023 included:
184,920 gallons of rainwater harvested
6.4% of total divisional water usage from rainwater
Commenting on the sustainability milestones achieved by Kingspan North America, Brent Trenga, Director of Sustainability for Kingspan Insulated Panels North America said, “We made significant progress toward our goals in 2023, even with high production growth across our facilities. We are proud of our accomplishments in 2023 and are working hard in 2024 to achieve new milestones.”
To view the full 2023 Sustainability Report, click here.