NAIMA Survey Shows Insulation Manufacturers’ Use of Recycled Material

The North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) has announced the results of a survey of its members’ use of pre- and post-consumer recycled materials in insulation and acoustical products in 2016. The survey includes data from both U.S. and Canadian manufacturing facilities.

According to the survey, U.S. manufacturers used more than 1.8 billion pounds of recycled glass in the production of residential, commercial, and industrial thermal and acoustical insulation. This is roughly equivalent to the amount of municipal solid waste generated by one million people in the U.S. in a year. NAIMA Canada members together used 346 million pounds of recycled glass in the production of residential, commercial, industrial, and air handling thermal and acoustical insulation.

U.S. and Canadian facilities used more than 628 million pounds of recycled blast furnace slag in the production of thermal and acoustical insulation. Since the industry’s recycling program began in 1992, NAIMA members’ plants have diverted an estimated 55 billion pounds of recycled materials from the waste stream.

“NAIMA members are committed to promoting sustainability by using recycled materials to produce energy-saving insulation products that improve a building’s energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact,” said Curt Rich, President and CEO of NAIMA.

While recycled content is just one indicator of a product’s environmental impact, the survey results illustrate the significant impact that an industry can have through the conscientious use of materials.

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