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Tasman Insulation (TINZ) is pleased to announce they now hold an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for all Pink Batts glass wool insulation: segments, blankets and boards. Internationally recognised, an EPD is a standardised and verified document that quantifies the environmental impact of a building product throughout its life-cycle.
Tasman Insulation’s EPD is the result of a concerted effort to measure and improve the environmental impact of their Pink Batts insulation products — a process which started with an initial life cycle assessment (LCA) completed by thinkstep Ltd. in 2010.
Verified against the rules of the Australasian EPD Programme, the EPD is based on data from a second life cycle assessment, performed by thinkstep in 2018, which highlights the tremendous work Tasman has done to improve the sustainability of their manufacturing processes.
“This was a great opportunity to measure and substantiate improvements we have made in reducing the environmental impact of the Pink Batts manufacturing process over the last eight years,” explains Dr Michael Burgess, Group Environmental Manager at Fletcher Building. “While we knew we had made good steps to improve our environmental footprint, the results were better than expected and both thinkstep and the verifier had to double check the data to be sure! At the end of the verification process they were both impressed by the changes made by TINZ over the last few years.”
Some key improvements Tasman Insulation has made in the manufacturing of Pink Batts insulation products include:
- 30% reduction in carbon footprint: achieved by improvements in plant efficiency, driven by a reduction in consumption of natural gas.
- 50% reduction in acidification potential of land and water: achieved by improvements in binder technology, more efficient application of binder and plant operational efficiency.
- 65% reduction in eutrophication potential: Achieved by improvements in binder technology and water conservation at the plant.
- 55% reduction in photochemical ozone creation potential: Achieved by improvements in binder technology and plant operational efficiency.
Commending Tasman Insulation’s improvements Barbara Nebel, CEO thinkstep Ltd said “What was noticeable about the work Tasman have done is that they have been on that journey for a long time. So the driver wasn’t for them to quickly get an LCA study done, the driver was to understand the impacts of their products and go the extra step.”
For designers, the EPD provides accurate, independently verified information on the environmental footprint of Pink Batts glass wool insulation. The EPD can be used to make informed decisions when specifying insulation, by taking into account aspects such as the product’s carbon footprint, energy used in manufacturing and waste created. It also offers designers the potential to gain Green Star credits.
For Tasman Insulation, the EPD was a logical step that further demonstrates the company’s commitment to sustainability. “The EPD highlights the synergy between the efforts we have made to lower the impact of our manufacturing process and the finished product which is designed to save energy and play its part in reducing our country’s carbon emissions while improving the health, wellbeing and comfort of New Zealanders,” says Dr Burgess. “Essentially – we’re making a product designed to save energy, out of recycled materials in a low-impact way, and the EPD proves this.”
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