Kingspan reduces scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds in four years

Kingspan has announced it has reduced its scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 65% since 2020 as part of “Planet Passionate”, its 10-year sustainability programme.[1]
In 2023, Kingspan also launched its first bio-based hemp insulation product, HemKor, as well as new lower embodied carbon ranges across its flooring, ceiling and insulated panel product ranges as the company moves to reduce the environmental impact of its key products.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have now been installed on nearly half of Kingspan’s wholly-owned sites to boost on-site renewable energy generation.
Kingspan recycled 858 million waste plastic bottles in 2023 alone, enough to fill over 1,100 football pitches.[2]
Over 41 billion litres of rainwater could be harvested by the rainwater harvesting tanks sold by Kingspan in 2023, enough to fill over 500 million baths.[3]
The insulation products sold by Kingspan in 2023 are estimated to have the potential to save 164 million tonnes of CO₂e over their lifetime.

Kingspan, the global leader in high-performance insulation and building envelope solutions, today launches its fourth annual ‘Planet Passionate’ sustainability report and announces a 65% absolute reduction in its scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions since 2020.[4]^,[5]

In 2023 alone, the company achieved a further 40% absolute reduction in scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions since its base year, accelerated by the introduction of its business-wide internal carbon price in January 2023.[6] The report also shows that 49.6% of all wholly-owned Kingspan sites had solar PV systems installed by year-end, a marked boost to the company’s on-site renewable energy generation capacity.

In addition to these operational achievements, in 2023 Kingspan made important headway in its innovation journey to reduce the embodied carbon of its product offering, introducing three lower embodied carbon products – QuadCore LEC insulated panels, RMG600+ raised access floor panels and the Tate Grid LEC structural ceiling solution – to some of its markets. The company also launched its bio-based HemKor range in November 2023, marking the first time a major insulation manufacturer has launched a product made largely of hemp.

Other key developments highlighted in the report include:

A 33% reduction in waste to landfill since 2020
800 forklifts, 42% of Kingspan’s forklift fleet are now electric
475 employee vehicles were converted to electric in 2023[7]
On-site electricity generation capacity increased by 6.8MW in 2023 through the installation and expansion of solar PV systems, bringing the total solar power capacity to 42MW
A total of €63.5 million invested in R&D in 2023, ensuring the company can continue to lead the market with innovative energy- and resource-efficient systems and solutions
57 million litres of rainwater were harvested in 2023, with nine million litres of additional capacity added during the year

Kingspan’s 10-year Planet Passionate sustainability programme is the driving force behind its efforts to decarbonise its operations, product offering and supply chain, prioritising absolute emissions reductions. The company has committed to challenging science-based targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) covering scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions, including achieving a 90% absolute reduction in greenhouse gas emissions within its operations and a 42% absolute reduction in scope 3 GHG emissions from its 2020 base year. These targets are aligned with the IPCC’s goal to limit global temperature rise to 1.5⁰C by the end of this century.

The programme also features measurable targets to harvest rainwater, eliminate waste to landfill and increase use of recycled PET as a raw material to help tackle three of today’s biggest global challenges: climate change, circularity and protection of the natural world.

Bianca Wong, Global Head of Sustainability at Kingspan Group, said:

“We are acutely aware that as the climate crisis intensifies, our mission to help accelerate a net-zero emissions built environment has never been more important.

To play our part in keeping global temperature rises within the 1.5°C limit, we committed to absolute emissions reductions and focused on making tangible progress in the short- to medium-term through our Planet Passionate programme. In a business like Kingspan, that is only possible with significant structural and time investment and an unwavering dedication to delivering real results.

Our global team of more than 100 people has completed over 300 projects across our business since 2020 to help realise our targets. With the majority of Kingspan’s value chain emissions coming from our upstream supply chain, we are working closely with our key supply partners to reduce the carbon intensity of our key raw materials. This work has enabled us to bring new lower embodied carbon products to market in 2023.

We still have a lot of work to do and must continue to refocus and respond as the business grows and evolves, but I am incredibly proud of what our team has achieved in just four years and look forward to further progress towards our targets as Planet Passionate enters its fifth year.” The launch of Kingspan’s 2023 Planet Passionate report follows the recent announcement that the company was included on the globally-recognised CDP Climate Change A List, which recognises environmental leadership through transparency and meaningful climate action. Kingspan was one of just 346 companies to make the 2023 CDP Climate Change A List, of the 21,000 companies scored by CDP. In addition, CDP has also named Kingspan as a 2023 Supplier Engagement Leader in recognition of the company’s effectiveness in engaging with suppliers on climate change.

Read the full report here: Kingspan Planet Passionate Report 2023 (ipaper.io)

[1] Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions. Excluding biogenic emissions. Scope 2 GHG emissions calculated using market-based methodology.
[2] Estimated PET bottles by weight.
[3] Assumes a 20-year product life.
4] Whole business – all manufacturing, assembly and R&D sites within the Kingspan Group, including additions since 2020.
[5] Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions. Excluding biogenic emissions. Scope 2 GHG emissions calculated using market-based methodology. GHG emissions were recalculated due to acquisitions that occurred in 2021, 2022 and 2023 before 30^th September.
[6] Internal carbon charge of €70 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emitted by the division during the year. Scope 1 and 2 emissions, excluding process and biogenic emissions.
[7] Kingspan defines a ‘zero emissions car’ as a vehicle with zero tailpipe emissions. The boundary does not include the energy used to power the vehicle or the embodied emissions from manufacturing.