In its latest report, Kingspan has unveiled that it achieved a 40% absolute reduction in Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (power-related) GHG emissions in 2023 alone, accelerated by the introduction of its business-wide internal carbon price.
In 2023, Kingspan launched its first bio-based hemp insulation product, HemKor, and introduced lower embodied carbon ranges across its flooring, ceiling and insulated panel product lines.
Moreover, nearly half of Kingspan’s wholly-owned sites now have solar photovoltaic (PV) systems installed to enhance on-site renewable energy generation, resulting an increase in generation capacity by 6.8 megawatts (MW) in 2023. This brings the company’s total solar power capacity to 42MW.
Kingspan Group’s global head of sustainability Bianca Wong said: “To play our part in keeping global temperature rises within the 1.5C limit, we committed to absolute emissions reductions and focused on making tangible progress in the short- to medium-term through our Planet Passionate programme.
“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 toward our targets as Planet Passionate enters its fifth year.”
Innovation focus
Last year, Kingspan invested €63.5m in research and development to ensure the continuous development of innovative, energy- and resource-efficient systems and solutions. Additional achievements highlighted in the report include a 33% reduction in waste to landfill since 2020, with 800 forklifts (42% of the fleet) now being electric. In 2023, 475 employee vehicles were converted to electric, contributing to a reduction in the company’s carbon footprint.
The company has been recently included in the CDP Climate Change A List, which grades companies on promoting low-carbon outputs and disclosing climate mitigation plans and risks.