Formaldehyde elimination a growing trend
Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement retailer based in USA, is the latest to join a growing number of retailers committing to improving sustainability and safety by removing insulation made using formaldehyde from its shelves. This announcement comes after more frequent demands by informed consumers who are looking for alternatives using modern, greener technology. Home Depot has also committed to increasing transparency of ingredients in its products and gaining third party certification of chemical ingredients and safety. For more information, you can read the full article here.
Knauf Insulation hopes that this announcement from the retail giant will encourage other suppliers and retailers in Australia to take similar action. By removing harmful chemicals from its products, Home Depot has cemented the importance of both the health of the environment and the health of its consumers.
Sustainability at Knauf Insulation
Knauf Insulation is proud to be a forerunner of sustainability within the industry, and has been supplying Earthwool insulation with no added formaldehyde since 2009. In fact, Knauf Insulation was the first insulation company in Australia to introduce this characteristic, which in Earthwool, is distinguishable through its “natural” brown colour. Earthwool insulation is a product that delivers superior environmental sustainability and safety – with its advanced German technology and manufacturing process that does not require the added formaldehyde used in traditional coloured insulation.
Not only does Earthwool have no added formaldehyde, but it’s manufactured using recycled glass bottles and is bonded using bio-based ECOSE Technology. As leaders of this trend, Knauf Insulation is excited to see it spread across the industry as manufacturers of glasswool continue to move to technology that does not require added formaldehyde and contributes to enhanced safety.
Around the world
Interest in the sustainability and safety of formaldehyde is a global trend with markets in the USA, Japan and France all actively promoting formaldehyde-free insulation as a safer alternative. Countries around the world are implementing more stringent regulations on the use of formaldehyde in insulation, as well as other products. Some governments, like Japan’s, are enforcing declarations of formaldehyde levels, while the European Union has banned the use of formaldehyde for specific purposes.
In Australia, Bunnings and other independent stockists have been leading the industry with Earthwool since 2010.
There’s certainly a lot of positive change happening at the moment regarding the restriction of formaldehyde in building products. With the growing global commitment to sustainable choices, it’s nice to know that Knauf Insulation is leading the way.