Building Sustainability With Foam Plastic Insulation
Key Takeaways
- Over half of a buildings emissions originate from the embodied carbon in steel and concrete.
- Most types of foam plastic insulation contain significantly less embodied carbon than other construction materials.
- The reduction in a building’s GHG emissions from insulation can offset the carbon cost of creating the insulation in just a few months.
Buildings and construction are the world’s largest sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for approximately 37% of global emissions. However, foam plastic insulation, like EPS and XPS, helps the building industry become more sustainable by reducing emissions.
For this graphic, Visual Capitalist partnered with the American Chemistry Council to explore how insulation reduces emissions and gives the construction industry a path toward sustainability.
What is Responsible for GHG Emissions in Buildings?
Most of the emissions caused by the construction industry stem from embodied carbon, which refers to the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) associated with the production, extraction, transportation, and manufacturing of building materials.
Consequently, over half a building’s GHG emissions come from steel and concrete.
| Material | % Share of Building Embodied Carbon |
|---|---|
| Steel | 32% |
| Concrete | 22% |
| Services | 20% |
| Aluminum | 9% |
| Steel Reinforcement | 4% |
| Glass | 4% |
| Raised Floors | 3% |
| All Other Materials and Insulation | 6% |
How Does Insulation Reduce Emissions?
Foam plastic insulation reduces emissions by drastically improving energy efficiency. However, it is also integral to a building’s construction, so the insulation must be sustainable.
The sustainability of insulation is measured by its Global Warming Potential (GWP), which represents the amount of GHGs released or required to produce it.
| Material | Embodied Carbon (KgCO₂/1m²) |
|---|---|
| Glass | 36 |
| Marble | 12 |
| XPS | 6 |
| cc-SPF | 4 |
| EPS | 4 |
| Polyisocyanurate (Wall) | 3 |
| oc-SPF | 2 |
Over the past 50 years, manufacturers have significantly reduced the embodied carbon emissions associated with insulation. Now, most types of foam plastic insulation contain much less embodied carbon than most other construction materials.
The ROI of Insulation
As time progresses, the net reduction in a buildings GHG emissions as a result of insulation can offset the overall carbon cost of creating the insulation just a few months.
| Insulation | Carbon Payback Period (months) |
|---|---|
| Attic Insulation | 8.1 |
| Basement Insulation | 5.9 |
| Whole Home | 5.2 |
| Wall Insulation | 3 |
A Sustainable Path for Construction
The construction industry is among the world’s largest emitters of GHGs, primarily due to the carbon embodied in construction materials such as steel and concrete.
However, by using high-quality insulation, a building can not only improve its energy efficiency but also, over time, create a net reduction in emissions that can offset the carbon cost of many of the building’s materials.
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