Kingspan Launches Bio-Based Insulation Made from Hemp

Kingspan Group, a leader in high-performance insulation and building envelopes, has unveiled HemKor, which includes the company's first bio-based insulation product, largely made of hemp.

HemKor represents a significant step forward in Kingspan’s strategy to combine advanced material science, bio-based products, and product innovations that can help reduce embodied carbon emissions in buildings. The company offers a full spectrum of insulation solutions that can meet the challenging requirements faced by the 21st century built environment.

HemKor represents the latest of Kingspan’s product innovations to come out of its dedicated innovation centre (IKON) as part of its full-spectrum insulation solutions innovation programme. Earlier this year, the Group launched its LEC (Lower Embodied Carbon) range of insulated panel solutions in the UK and Republic of Ireland, which represented a significant breakthrough in reducing embodied carbon across its QuadCore product range. Furthermore, the company launched AlphaCore, the Group’s first Euroclass A2s1d0 insulation product, offering a slim solution when compared with traditional Euroclass A-rated alternatives

Kingspan’s new HemKor product range was developed to help reduce the carbon footprint of buildings. The product range, largely made from hemp, a fast-growing bio-based material, has three products: Jute blend, Pure, and Padding. The HemKor Jute Blend product, with a bio-based content of at least 80%, combines hemp with recycled jute bags and has a thermal performance of 0.040 W/mK. The HemKor Pure product, with a bio-based content of more than 95%, has a thermal performance of 0.043 W/mK. Both products have been tested according to the NCS 16785 standard for bio-based products.

“Pioneering sustainability in construction products has never been more important," said Sandra Del Bove, group head of Innovation at Kingspan Group. "We believe advanced material science and bio-based products hold the key to solving one of the industry's greatest challenges, cutting building emissions and reducing embodied carbon. We’re applying our scale and our know-how to accelerate the development of a new generation of bio-based building materials, and HemKor marks a huge step on this journey as our first product range to include bio-based products.

The CO2, in the part of the hemp plant that Kingspan uses is stored in the building where the product is installed. This is only released if the product isn't reused or recycled at the end of its lifespan. This new insulation solution from Kingspan can help reduce material-related CO2 from buildings.