PRONG #1—WHEN SUSTAINABILITY IS THE BUSINESS STRATEGY, NOT JUST A STANDALONE POLICY

The Building Materials Industry has come a long way when it comes to embodied carbon, and sustainability more generally, but the reality is that more needs to be done. Currently, buildings account for approximately 39 per cent of global energy-related carbon emissions—28 per cent from operations and 11 per cent from embodied carbon.2 Yet, with the building industry poised to add 230 billion square meters of new construction worldwide by 2060 (equivalent to building one New York City each month for 40 years), it’s estimated that embodied carbon could account for roughly half of total new construction emissions between now and 2050.

Manufacturers must also do their part to move toward decarbonization such as aligning themselves with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), committing to measurable Science-based Target Initiatives (SBTIs), innovating materials and processes to offer more CO2 neutral materials with a longer lifecycle, and embracing circularity. ROCKWOOL has taken a leadership role globally, supporting 10 out of 17 UN SDGs and setting clear, auditable SBTi goals identified in our 2021 Sustainability Report.3

ROCKWOOL Group CEO Jens Birgersson says, “We’re proud to be among the few energy-intensive manufacturing companies whose science-based emission reduction targets (SBTi) have been verified and approved. These new targets build on the strong foundation that we are already a net carbon negative company. Though not many companies can make that claim, we also know it’s not enough, which is why we have committed to this ambitious decarbonization pathway.”

Further elaborating on ROCKWOOL’s decarbonization commitment and its impact on global targets, Jens Birgersson underscores the importance of action among every manufacturer and organization. He notes, “Achieving these emission reduction targets will be an important step in realizing the global ambition to reduce society’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. By demonstrating that an energy-intensive manufacturing company can achieve these targets, we hope to inspire others to take actions to help create a greener, more sustainable future.”

ROCKWOOL is committed to two global science-based targets, approved and verified by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi):

1. Absolute factory greenhouse gas emissions—Our goal is to reduce factory absolute greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 38 per cent by 2034

2. Absolute lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions—Our goal is to reduce non-factory, absolute lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 3) by 20 per cent by 2034

These emissions reductions, supplemented by our previously established sustainability goals, equate to an ambitious one-third reduction of ROCKWOOL’s lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions in 15 years. To date in our operations globally, we are on track to:

• Meet our goal of reducing CO2 intensity by 20 per cent by 2030

• Meet our goal of reducing water consumption intensity by 20 per cent by 2030

• Reduce our internal waste to landfill by 85 per cent by 2030

• Complete renovation of several office buildings to further reduce our energy demand and carbon footprint

ROCKWOOL is also making strides in innovation, particularly in strategies that reduce our factories’ direct emissions. For example, in North America, the electric melter at our Grand Forks, British Columbia factory is connected to a hydropower grid making it super-efficient and one of the lowest carbon-emitting ROCKWOOL factories in the world. The newly constructed factory in Ranson, West Virginia operates on award-winning flex fuel technology4, using natural gas instead of coal and most recently we also converted the Byhalia, Mississippi factory to natural gas.

Simultaneously, in addition to setting measurable targets, it is critical for manufacturers to track the embodied carbon of their building products and publish third-party verified environmental product declarations (EPD). EPDs communicate information about the lifecycle environmental impact of products during all phases of construction. There are different types of EPDs available in the market: industry-average EPDs are developed by industry associations for their representative product category; product-specific EPDs are developed by individual manufacturers, using a weighted average for the relevant regional manufacturing facilities; and factory-specific EPDs are manufacturer specific with individual performance values for the relevant regional manufacturing facilities. Even at the design stage it is important to refer to product-specific data to capture the most accurate life cycle performance for the project. ROCKWOOL is committed to transparency, making our product-specific EPDs as well as other documentation and certifications, readily available.

PRONG #2—THE PRODUCTS THEMSELVES CONTRIBUTE TO CARBON REDUCTION

Reducing operational carbon is a critical component of the total decarbonization effort, and adequately insulating buildings can play a significant role by increasing energy efficiency, reducing energy demand, thereby lowering GHG emissions. Therefore, insulation is a primary building material that can directly reduce the operational carbon of buildings over its lifetime.

The August 2022 Insulation Industry Opportunity Study5 by ICF International found that applying simple insulation measures to existing single-family homes, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities would be equivalent to increasing current wind production by 135 per cent or offsetting emissions from 40 per cent of all natural gas-fired generation in the United States. It also found that retrofit activity in residential homes alone could prevent roughly 10 billion tons of carbon emissions over a 50-year period (the minimum useful life of building insulation). On a manufacturer level, ROCKWOOL reports that the building insulation it sold in 2021 will save 100X the energy consumed and carbon emitted during its production.6

Not only do stone wool insulation products impact climate change, they support communities in building long-term climate change resilience. Modelling should reflect future climate conditions and building components that contribute to the mitigation of climate risks should be prioritized. Across the globe, more extreme

® weather events are being recorded, with greater swings between temperature highs and lows. Buildings must now be able to help keep occupants safe and comfortable amid hotter and longer heat waves and deep freezes. ROCKWOOL stone wool insulation, shown to maintain its long-term thermal performance for more than 55 years, can help keep interior temperatures stable, longer, even in the event of a power failure. When we think of vulnerable residents like children, seniors or those facing medical challenges, this type of protection built in is invaluable, contributing to comfort, health and safety of building occupants.

For example, incorporating ROCKWOOL stone wool into the facade of the Ken Soble Tower in Hamilton, Ontario, as part of an overall retrofit strategy, helped the building meet EnerPHIT certification and contributed to a remarkable 94 per cent reduction in carbon emissions (compared to pre-retrofit). The super-tight building envelope with stone wool insulation will help maintain indoor temperatures even in climate extremes or in the event that active systems fail, keeping its senior residents safe. In fact, the building will stay warm in winter for up to two days (compared to two hours in a typical building) and below dangerous heat levels in summer for up to four days (compared to half a day in a typical building).

In fact, the thermal properties and dimensional stability of stone wool products do not change over time, so there is no degradation of their positive contributions to reducing operational carbon. Stone wool can also mitigate other risks, as well.

WHY STONE WOOL INSULATION?

For architects and builders, specifying stone wool insulation materials offers many benefits and contributes to multiple project goals, such as protection from fire, noise, and moisture, each of which can adversely affect the integrity of the building’s structure its long-term durability or the health and well-being of its occupants. In addition, they can enable decarbonization by selecting materials that can help reduce both the operational and embodied carbon of buildings, combined with the ability to simultaneously satisfy various code requirements and maintain design freedom.

For any new building or retrofit project, stone wool insulation should be considered for its flexibility in myriad applications as well as its impact in addressing the challenges of climate change. It’s important to work with a manufacturer, who authentically demonstrates a deep investment in sustainability and circularity.7

1 “Global Status Report 2018” (unep.org)

2 “Bringing embodied carbon upfront,” 2019 Report, World Green Building Council, Pg. 9 (worldgbc.org/)

3 “Sustainability at ROCKWOOL” (rockwool.com)

4,7 “Resilient by nature Sustainability Report 2021” by ROCKWOOL (rockwool.com)

5 The August 2022 “Insulation Industry Opportunity Study” by ICF International (insulationadvocacy.org)

6 “A net carbon negative impact” by ROCKWOOL (rockwool.com)