Tuesday 3 December 2019
Kingspan targets net zero carbon manufacturing by 2030
Kingspan has made a commitment to ensure net zero carbon manufacturing by 2030 as part of its efforts to contribute towards reducing global carbon emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.
It has launched its 10-year ‘Planet Passionate’ strategy, which is made up of 12 ambitious targets that include powering 60% of all Kingspan operations directly using renewable energy sources, with a minimum of 20% of this generated on manufacturing sites – up from 5.9% today.
The company is also aiming for a 50% reduction in product CO2 intensity from primary supply partners, upcycling one billion PET bottles a year into insulation products and zero waste to landfill across all sites as well as harvesting 100 million litres of its water usage from rainwater.
The construction industry is one of the biggest emitters of carbon and greenhouse gases, with construction and buildings combined currently accounting for 39% of all carbon emissions globally.
It is also responsible for an estimated 30% of all waste to landfill globally.
The World Green Building Council estimates embodies carbon, i.e. carbon used in the manufacturing, construction and disposal of building materials, will be responsible for half of the entire carbon footprint of new construction between now and 2050.
Bianca Wong, Global Head of Sustainability at Kingspan, said: “To protect our planet, carbon emissions need to fall by 45% by 2030 and to net zero by 2050 – but we’re currently on course to miss this goal by at least five-fold. At Kingspan we recognise the need for all businesses to take urgent action. We also know that more sustainable building products, combined with high-performance building envelope design, have the potential to save enormous amounts of energy and carbon.
“By working in partnership with the industry and striving to be Planet Passionate in everything we do, we are confident we can achieve the goals we have set our business and enable ourselves and our customers to contribute to the global fight against climate change.”
Kingspan has also announced membership of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Economy 100 (CE100), which provides a space for businesses to learn, share knowledge and build new collaborative approaches.
Joe Murphy, CE100 Lead for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation welcomed the move, adding: “The CE100 brings together leaders and innovators from around the world to unlock new opportunities for growth. It is collaboration among our diverse and dynamic community that enables members to move faster and with greater success. Kingspan bring unique expertise and specific capabilities to the network's strong built environment sector.”
