With 2021 in the books, Kingspan is working to put together our annual “Planet Passionate” Sustainability Report, reviewing the second year of progress in the 10-year Planet Passionate strategy we launched in December 2019. This report tracks Kingspan’s milestones in meeting Planet Passionate targets in the four key areas of energy, carbon, circularity and water.
As we compile the data for the 2021 Planet Passionate Sustainability Report, we wanted to share a snapshot of some of last year’s key sustainability milestones in our North America plants:
Kingspan’s DeLand, Florida, manufacturing plant implemented a system of nine color-coded waste streams in order to facilitate easy recycling. A partnership was also established with Atlanta-based Belter Tech to upcycle the plant’s foam scrap to make a variety of products including cement fill, ceiling tiles and panel products.
Our Langley, British Columbia, plant is also working to transform waste into usable products and resources including a short-term waste-to-energy program that turns mineral fiber panel scrap into energy.
In our Modesto, California facility we continue to increase the use of recycled raw materials including using PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles as a raw material ingredient in the production of Kingspan Quadcore® insulation to help prevent these bottles from ending up in a landfill or in the ocean.
In drought-stricken California, Kingspan is actively working to conserve water in Modesto through rainwater harvesting, using rainwater retention ponds and bioswales (vegetated, shallow, landscaped depressions designed to capture, treat, and infiltrate stormwater runoff as it moves downstream) and flow meter drainage wells which pump water into above or below ground tanks, using the water that is collected as irrigation.
Kingspan’s Modesto plant is also reducing its carbon footprint with the recent installation of a PV solar panel roof.
Our Columbus, Ohio, manufacturing facility is reducing its carbon footprint by using direct-to-grid renewable wind energy to power the plant.
Kingspan’s Monterrey, Mexico plant also continued to drive progress forward in meeting Planet Passionate targets by adding more rainwater harvesting points which collect and store rainwater before it is dispersed as surface run-off, implementing waste mapping, increasing recycling collection points, and installing chargers with capacity to charge four electric vehicles.
These are just some of the 2021 milestones that continue to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to meeting and exceeding Planet Passionate targets aimed at reducing our company’s impact on the planet and further enhancing the environmental benefits of our products.
We look forward to sharing a complete picture of our progress in the 2021 Planet Passionate Sustainability Report. Stay tuned!
