UpCycle offices, Austin, Texas / A new Karrier panel “skin” helped enable 95% existing materials to be
re-used
Megatrends
CIRCULARITY
IN CONSTRUCTION
CONSTRUCTING A CIRCULAR FUTURE
A Circular Model
Today we live in a world where we take resources, make products and cast them aside as waste.
Converting the construction industry to a more circular model will lead to considerable environmental benefits for the future
25% - 30%
EU Waste
11%
Carbon Emissions
42.4 billion
Tons of Materials
Waste:
Construction and demolition waste currently account for approximately 25% - 30% of all waste generated in the EU.
Make:
11% of all energy-related carbon emissions arise from the energy used to produce building and construction materials
Take:
The construction industry consumes 42.4bn tonnes of materials each year
The practical challenges of segregating materials on demolition sites means that even when materials are technically recyclable, recycling of construction materials is extremely difficult.
The circular economy is an emerging and complex concept
Our Impact
Our LIFECycle product circularity framework
True circularity
Recycling at end-of-life is only one aspect of a product’s lifecycle, true circularity is embedded throughout the entire lifecycle of the product. At Kingspan we have been working on a new framework to drive product circularity, that takes learnings from the Ellen McArthur circular economy principles.
We’re asking ourselves questions all the way through the lifecycle of each product:
Could less materials be used to make it?
Can more recycled or renewable materials be used to make it?
Is it designed from the outset to last longer?
Is it manufactured in a low-carbon, resource-efficient way?
Can it be reused after its first service life?
And as a last resort, can it be recycled using minimal natural resources such as energy or water?
Our core philosophy
Our core philosophy is to achieve product design that is inherently lean and circular. Today, our advanced insulation products are up to 50% more thermally-efficient than synthetic mineral fibre insulation, leading to more resource-efficient manufacture and potential savings in transport and building structure.
We call it our LIFECycle product circularity framework
View Brochure
View Case
Study
Our roadmap
QuadCore™ Circularity
We are using LIFECycle to drive our circularity innovation roadmap for all our major products, including QuadCore™ insulated panels. Watch this short video to learn about re-use and end-of-life pilot projects for QuadCore™.
As a manufacturer, we can’t do this alone. We are committed to supporting the re-use and recyclability of our products, but this is not enough to create change at scale.
The entire industry will need to transform, from material innovation all the way through to new legal frameworks to support re-use of products and waste legislation to drive segregation and recycling instead of landfill.
We’re determined to play our part, with innovation programmes at IKON and through collaborative industry initiatives such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
Megatrends
RENOVATION
RENOVATION IS KEY
TO UNLOCKING
EFFICIENCY
Building Better
Strategic Pillar
Innovation
Kingspan is driven by a belief that advanced materials and methods of construction hold the answer to some of the great challenges that our planet and society face. From products that insulate better while creating more internal space, to those that harness more natural daylight, we are dedicated to extending the limits of ultra-performance envelope design with a core focus on energy efficiency.
Read MoreStrategic Pillar
Planet Passionate
Launched in December 2019, Planet Passionate is our ambitious 10-year global sustainability programme where we have set ourselves hard targets to progress our positive impact on three global issues: climate change, circularity and the protection of our natural world.
Read MoreStrategic Pillar
Global
Kingspan continues to expand globally bringing ultra-performance building envelope solutions to markets which are at an earlier stage in their evolution to sustainable and efficient methods of construction.
Read More