Environmental Impacts of Renewable Insulation Materials

Andreas Geß, Manuel Lorenz, Anna Tolsdorf and Stefan Albrecht
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Andreas Geß: Department Life Cycle Engineering GaBi, Institute for Acoustics and Building Physics IABP, University of Stuttgart, 70563 Stuttgart, Germany
Manuel Lorenz: Department Life Cycle Engineering GaBi, Institute for Acoustics and Building Physics IABP, University of Stuttgart, 70563 Stuttgart, Germany
Anna Tolsdorf: Department Life Cycle Engineering GaBi, Institute for Acoustics and Building Physics IABP, University of Stuttgart, 70563 Stuttgart, Germany
Stefan Albrecht: Department Life Cycle Engineering GaBi, Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP, 70563 Stuttgart, Germany

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 15, 1-13

Abstract: According to the IEA Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2019, one of the main industry sectors causing environmental impacts is the construction sector. Hence, construction materials from renewable resources are expected to have a large potential to decrease these impacts. In this study, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted for four different insulation materials from renewable feedstock: insulation made from pasture grass, seaweed, reed, and recycled jute fibres. Additionally, the effects on land use change were evaluated for pasture grass insulation using the LANCA ® methodology. To put the LCA results in relation to those of non-renewable resources, a comparison of standardized LCA values for conventional insulation materials is presented. In general, the renewable insulation materials show fewer environmental impacts than their conventional counterparts. In particular, these materials have advantages regarding greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on climate change. Of the analyzed materials, seaweed showed the overall lowest emissions. It can be concluded that insulation materials from non-mineral, non-fossil, and non-wooden resources are still fairly niche in terms of market share, but they have extraordinary potential in decreasing the environmental impacts of construction ventures.

Keywords: LCA; insulation material; renewable resources (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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