Pre-consumer (also called “post-industrial”) recycling refers to the reuse of industrial by-products, as distinguished from material that has been in consumer use. The iron-ore slag used to make mineral wool insulation and the fly ash used to make concrete are examples of post-industrial recycled materials. While post-consumer recycled content is preferable, a product that uses pre-consumer content or recycles a seldom-used waste product, especially in an area where recycled products are hard to find, can be considered green.
Excluded from this category, by FTC definitions, is the use of scrap within the same manufacturing process from which it was generated—material that would typically have gone back into the manufacturing process anyway.
Kingspan Insulated Metal Wall Panels
KingSpan’s interlocking tongue-and-groove panels consist of polyisocyanurate cores between steel skins.
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Better information alone doesn’t make a product green, but it does make it a lot easier to see just how green that product actually is. We can make more informed purchasing decisions when we know what’s in a product, not just manufacturer’s claims about what it’s “free-of”; and when we know the actual environmental impacts of manufacturing the product relative to alternatives, not just a trade association’s claim that it’s “green.” Making information public can also help manufacturers get greener. It’s often the manufacturers that are already greener that are willing to share more information in the first place, but in the process of doing so they see where they still need to improve. Products with Environmental Product Declarations are included here, along with products with other forms of disclosure, such as products from companies that participate in the Global Reporting Initiative, or provide full disclosure of ingredients, potentially via the Health Product Declaration format. GreenSpec also lists products that help track buildings' energy and water performance, especially when those tracking tools can be used to publicly display or report energy and water usage.
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Before specifying efficient heating and cooling equipment, it’s important to do what we can to reduce heating and cooling loads. Insulation is one of the key products to consider here, but because there are so many insulation products on the market, we look for additional benefits. Examples include cellulose insulation with recycled content, mineral wool insulation with no flame retardants, and fiberglass insulation with no formaldehyde binders. Other products in this area are high-performance windows and glazings, products that contribute to building airtight envelopes, products that reduce thermal bridging, and window-retrofit products.
With products in this area under constant development, we are always refining our approach. For example, as we have learned about insulation products with hazardous flame retardants and blowing agents that have high global warming potential, we have removed those products from GreenSpec, pending manufacturing changes. We encourage building professionals to pressure manufacturers for those changes through specification language and purchasing decisions.
KingSpan’s interlocking tongue-and-groove panels consist of polyisocyanurate cores between steel skins. Sold individually in a number of different styles, they are also incorporated into the company’s Benchmark Designwall architectural building envelope system that incorporates sunscreens, louvers, windows, and other elements. Kingspan also offers its KarrierPanel insulated rainscreen system that can be used with either metal or brick facades to create a continuous insulation with minimal thermal bridging. A variety of exterior finish colors and textures are available for Designwall and the company’s other commercial panels.
Kingspan has a UL-certified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for their panels, available for download on its Path to Net Zero website.
07 42 16: Insulated Metal Wall Panels
With a thin metal skin and foam insulation for a core, insulated metal wall panels provide excellent thermal protection and efficient use of materials. The materials, themselves, however, have relatively high embodied energy and the EPS foam cores are made with materials that may have a negative impact on health and the environment, including benzene and the brominated fire retardant HBCD, a persistent, bioaccumulative toxin. GreenSpec lists these panels because of their superior thermal performance. When possible, choose a polyisocyanurate or polyurethane foam core, which do not contain benzene or HBCD.
Note that details at the joints between these panels are critical for maintaining the air and moisture barriers as well as insulation value, so proper installation—including sealing, alignment, and allowing for expansion—is critically important.
LEED Credits
EAc1: Optimize Energy Performance
EAp2: Minimum Energy Performance
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Kingspan Insulated Panels
726 Summerhill Dr.
Deland, FL
Toll-Free: 877-638-3266
www.kingspanpanels.us
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