Building for sustainability
Every day, Knauf Insulation solutions make an active contribution to carbon reduction and the urgent fight against climate change. In fact, our mineral wool insulation reduces operational carbon from buildings by 3.6 million tonnes every year.*
But building for sustainability is complicated, and we know there’s more we can do.
We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint, our use of resources, and our environmental impact, but that’s just the beginning. We believe sustainable construction goes beyond carbon reduction. That’s why we’re leading the change our industry needs by pioneering new ways of working with partners and our supply chain. And we’re making sure our business and people are ready to deliver on our plans, over the long-term.
More than a sustainability strategy
Our sustainability strategy is guided by three core objectives:
(1) Insulation has the potential to drive significant carbon reduction in the built environment, and Knauf Insulation will lead that change. We will:
- Advocate for higher standards in energy regulation
- Campaign for in-use performance measurement
- Partner with stakeholders to enable cost-effective renovation
- Lead by example, meeting energy targets across all our offices
(2) Insulation is a key component of environmentally friendly buildings. The energy consumption from producing insulation quickly pays itself back during the in-use phase, but that doesn’t mean the impact of manufacturing should be ignored. It is still critical that we minimise our own environmental footprint. We will:
- Halve our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2032
- Reduce our Scope 3 emissions by 30%, by 2032
- Achieve Net Zero across all three by 2045
- Reduce raw materials and water, and focus on circular economy principles such as recycling and reuse
- Send zero waste to disposal by 2032
(3) We will prioritise sustainability in business, keeping it at the heart of our decision-making. Investing in our people will ensure that we have a skilled, diverse team in place to deliver on our plans. We will:
- Dedicate 75M€ CAPEX to sustainability every year, beyond our other investment plans
- Ensure new investments only go ahead if they are both sustainable and financially viable
- Invest in a skilled, diverse team, empowered to drive change
- Be an active participant in our local communities
- Continue to prioritise safety and wellbeing across all our locations
"Our sustainability strategy is grounded in insight, not impulse. We've built an ambitious yet realistic long-term vision that adapts to evolving conditions while driving the stable, responsible growth of our business."
Marc Bosmans, Group Sustainability Director
How we're focusing on Sustainability in UK & Ireland
See our plans in practice
Just 95 days to offset the embodied carbon of our insulation, with operational carbon reduction.
Download our 2020-2025 review
Our current sustainability strategy looks ahead to 2032 and beyond. Learn about the journey that’s brought us here, in our latest sustainability review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sustainable construction requires input from everyone – policymakers, manufacturers, construction professionals, and end users. Our sustainability strategy considers each of these groups and includes advocacy for higher regulatory standards, prioritising sustainable building materials, promoting sustainable construction practices, and encouraging in-use energy measurement.
Our previous Annual Reports are available on our website, here.
When it comes to carbon reduction, operational carbon is only half of the story. That’s why products with low embodied carbon are essential. We are taking action to continue reducing the embodied carbon of our products and ensure transparent reporting for our customers. You can view our Environmental Product Declarations here. We have also set clear targets to improve the circularity of our products and operations, for example reducing our use of virgin materials, making more of our packaging recyclable, and providing recycling services for our product site waste.
We have set targets to reduce our raw materials and water, and to focus on circular economy principles such as recycling and waste take-back from construction sites. This not only makes our own business more circular, it can also support sustainable building practices by helping to reduce construction site waste .
When installed correctly, our Mineral Wool insulation reduces operational carbon from buildings by 3.6 million tonnes every year.* At a policy level, we also advocate for higher standards in energy regulation and in-use performance measurement, to support net zero targets and a more sustainable built environment.
*Study by Knauf Insulation in partnership with Ramboll, 2022
Our people are a top priority, and our sustainability strategy reflects this. We have set clear targets to ensure the fair treatment of all our employees, build a more diverse workforce, and maintain a safe working environment across all our locations. We will also empower our local operations to meet specific needs in their local communities.