Mechanical insulation is an inherently green technology—greener, in fact, than almost all other material components used in the built environment—because it saves more energy than it takes to produce and helps to reduce—or prevent—CO2 emissions. Now, companies in our industry are taking the sustainability discussion a step further, using recycled materials from outside sources to create their products; reusing or recycling the materials they use in manufacturing and distributing their products; or finding other ways to reduce waste, save energy, and decarbonize their operations.

NIA invited all manufacturer member companies to share their recycling efforts with Insulation Outlook readers. In this special section, responses and graphics received from seven companies are presented (in alphabetical order): Armacell; CertainTeed; Ideal Products; Johns Manville; Knauf Insulation, Inc.; Owens Corning; and ROCKWOOL.

If your organization is looking for ways to reduce waste and CO2 emissions, perhaps the information presented will help you identify steps you can take. And if your company has its own sustainability program in place, please feel free to share details with us. Send a description of your green practices to editor@insulation.org. We also welcome all NIA insulation product manufacturers to contact us to participate in an upcoming issue on ESG and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to enhance our readers’ product knowledge.