By: Jens Birgersson, President and CEO, ROCKWOOL Group
CONTENT FROM THE INTELLIGENT INVESTOR
If we reflect on what we value most in life, buildings might not be the first things that come to mind. But if we think about it, our homes, schools, day care centers, hospitals, and offices have incredible importance and impact on our lives.
And yet they are also among the primary sources of some of the world’s most pressing challenges: climate change, energy security, raw material consumption and waste, environmental pollution and negative health impacts.
It does not have to be that way. We know how to do better. While significant, these challenges are also an immense opportunity to transform the built environment.
ROCKWOOL Group is a global building materials manufacturing company, and as the CEO, I know our company and the construction industry have both an opportunity and a responsibility to help solve these challenges – with better building materials and products and smarter building practices.
WHAT IS ROCKWOOL’S ROLE?
ROCKWOOL has been manufacturing stone wool building materials, primarily insulation for buildings and industry, since 1937. Our product portfolio also includes acoustic ceiling and wall panels, exterior façade cladding, urban rainwater management systems as well as growing media for the professional horticulture sector.
Buildings play an outsized role in terms of social, economic, and environmental challenges. They are one of the largest sources of energy consumption and carbon emissions. In Europe, for example, nearly 40 percent of CO2 emissions come from existing buildings. We cannot reach the Paris Agreement goals without reducing the energy consumption of buildings.
That requires improvements in energy efficiency that are both deep and systemic. With well-designed policies and proven approaches to energy efficiency renovations, local communities and national governments can achieve immediate cost savings along with significant environmental and social benefits – a true triple-win.
Passing legislation is, however, only the first step. Achieving large-scale changes in the built environment will require the following: renovation programs that prioritize easy access to finance; project and workforce development assistance; consumer awareness; and sustainable, recyclable, and fire-safe building materials. According to the European Commission, building renovation rates need to at least double to meet the EU’s goal
