As Earth Day approaches, we sat down with Brent Trenga, Kingspan’s director of sustainability for North America, to discuss what the industry should be doing to reduce carbon emissions, how the industry is reacting to the current state of uncertainty, and the importance of staying the course on sustainability commitments.
What should the building industry be doing to reduce carbon emissions?
To decarbonize the built environment, we must change how we approach building. That means designing and constructing buildings to reduce both embodied carbon and operational carbon.
The built environment generates 42% of annual global CO2 emissions. Of those total emissions, embodied carbon (emissions associated with the total lifecycle of a building material) is responsible for 15% annually, while building operations are responsible for 27% annually.
However, it is projected that embodied carbon will be responsible for the majority of global carbon emissions associated with new buildings and infrastructure between now and 2030.
Selecting low-carbon building materials and integrating energy efficient systems into new builds and retrofits will help reduce embodied carbon and operational carbon emissions.
Low-carbon building materials are manufactured with low embodied carbon and recycled content materials, are produced with energy-efficient manufacturing processes, offer excellent thermal performance, and can be recycled at the end of their lifespan.
Energy efficient elements such as LED lights, high-efficiency HVAC systems, daylighting systems, and renewable energy are all ways to reduce a building’s operational carbon emissions. High performance building envelope solutions like insulated metal panels are another important element for improving the energy efficiency of buildings. Engineered with a strong air, water, vapor and thermal barrier, these panels reduce a building’s energy consumption.
With environmental protections facing setbacks, including expanded logging in national forests, halted conservation funding for endangered species, and withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, how are businesses responding?
Nobody likes uncertainty. Companies are unsure of how these issues might impact their businesses or for how long. It’s a lot to parse through, and it’s very difficult for companies to make strategic decisions when the playing field keeps shifting.
There are also serious concerns about the EPA’s deregulation plans, which will roll back environmental protections and eliminate some climate change regulations. Reversing these regulations could open the door for companies that were some of the worst pollution offenders to resume harmful practices without accountability.
What do you think will be the impact of withdrawing from the Paris Agreement?
Global agreements are powerful because of collective action. Withdrawing from the Paris Agreement opens the door for environmentally irresponsible companies to continue harmful practices.
Companies committed to mitigating climate change are staying the course. After the Paris Agreement rollback was announced, I have not heard of any company denying the existence of climate change or reversing their sustainability goals.
What is your advice to companies facing today’s uncertainty?
Companies committed to controlling their risks will be in the best position to weather all of this uncertainty. For example, some companies are insulating themselves against energy market volatility by using renewable energy. At Kingspan, our use of onsite solar photovoltaic (PV) significantly mitigates uncertainty and makes costs more predictable.
It’s also important for businesses to remember that this is just another four-year cycle. What really matters is staying the course and maintaining a laser focus on long-term environmental protection strategies and goals.
You mentioned renewable energy. The theme of Earth Day 2025 is “Our Power, Our Planet,” which champions the use of renewable energy. What strides has Kingspan made in adopting renewable energy?
One of the targets set out by Planet Passionate, Kingspan’s sustainability program, is in the area of energy.
To achieve our goal of becoming net-zero carbon by 2030, we are focused on minimizing our footprint by generating onsite renewable energy and purchasing direct renewable energy.
In 2023, Kingspan completed a 1.1 MW photovoltaic system in DeLand, Florida. It was the company’s second major PV project, with two more planned over the next 18 months. Now, 100% of the company’s owned facilities in North America are utilizing on-site solar PV. Because of these efforts, 2023 was the first year Kingspan saw a considerable reduction in emissions from the 2020 baseline.
Company-wide, 57% of our wholly-owned facilities have solar PV systems installed.
As we celebrate Earth Day 2025, we are reminded of our collective responsibility to mitigate climate change and the importance of remaining steadfast in protecting our planet.
In our fifth Planet Passionate report, we outline our progress to-date including 3 achieved targets, 100+ community projects and our latest product innovations, plus our 2025-2030 roadmap.