Insulation is energy URSA's sustainability report - URSA CZ
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URSA’s sustainability report Insulation is energy
Index
01. 04.
02. 03.
URSA’s evolution
Insulation means energy
What have we been doing
Executive summary and plan to do
of the report
Page 34
Page 4
Climate change Our operational environment
Reasons why you should Climate change, energy security,
take it seriously economic growth
Page 12 Page 20
01.
Insulation
is energy
Turning sand,
one of the most
abundant resources
on our planet,
into the cleanest
energy source
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 03 • 04
We need to act on climate
change and energy security
Europe is exposed to external Preparing the ground for growth.
risks. We can and must reduce
Two years ago, a deadly earthquake struck
this exposure, and one of the best the Emilia Romagna region in Italy. This was a
options is not yet obvious to all. dramatic situation in which URSA lost a colleague
and had a factory fully destroyed. It was a
Political events and the instability of the past
couple of years have shown just what an unstable
critical moment but we knew that extraordinary URSA is proud to
place Europe actually can be. It also gives us
situations require extraordinary effort.
We believe that since then, as a team, we have reopen the Bondeno
a pretty good idea of what the future brings:
more uncertainty. There is only one possible
become stronger. Thanks to our full engagement
with the local community and authorities URSA
XPS factory after
strategy in such conditions – do the right things,
and do them fast. Energy efficient renovation of
managed to rebuild the factory and restart the earthquake.
production at the beginning of 2015. We installed
building stock is the right thing to do, under any state of the art technology to be able to serve our
circumstances. It brings an immense set customers even better.
of benefits.
We walk the talk. The factory is there, operating
Europe is completely exposed to external political again. Importantly, it also is saving energy every
crises outside its boundaries, since, among other day, as we have insulated the plant to the highest
things, we are fully dependent on energy imports. energy efficiency standards. Our actions send the
To some extent, Europe is acting on the key best message to our partners.
initiatives of the Energy Union initiative, its 2020
and 2030 objectives, but more vigorous action is
desperately needed.
Buildings are key. Ambitious renovation of
European building stock provides much needed
energy savings, generates jobs, reduces CO2
emissions and offers more security for the whole
continent. Europe needs a “Buildings Marshal
plan” for decades to come, to bring building stock
to a nearly zero energy level.
URSA is confident we’re on the right path, no
matter what challenges we may face on our way.
Though the economic situation of today is not
stable in Europe, the underlying basis of our
activity is sound for decades to come.
Pepyn Dinandt
CEO URSA Insulation
Together with our partners, we will continue
making an effort to spread understanding of the
true benefits of Energy Efficiency, and keep it at
the top of the political agenda in Europe, where it
deserves to be.
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 05 • 06
Executive summary
of the report
(A)
Climate change is undeniable. We are only Solutions to stop climate change The European energy dilemma:
increasing the cost of mitigation.
exist. Deep energy renovation of Pressure to change but
The pace of changes taking place in nature is now building stock is one. little action.
the fastest in history. In this report, we will show
that a mix of awareness, political willingness and urope must reduce its dependency on energy
_E One side, Europe is faced with a set of factors that
ambition can revert the trend, and that solutions imports, in order to increase energy security. should normally create more ambitious energy
are already available today. The key is deep efficiency policies – climate change, dependency
energy renovation of European building stock. _B
uildings are key contributors to CO2 on energy imports and fuel poverty.
emissions, as they consume a significant
Deep energy renovation would also unlock a amount of energy (around 40% in EU). On the other, Europe could harvest multiple
number of other benefits such as economic benefits – a cleaner environment, increased
(B) _B
uildings also have the biggest potential to energy security, economic growth and jobs, an
growth and a more competitive European
economy, better public health and finances, save energy and reduce CO2 emissions. improved trade balance and public finances,
reduced fuel poverty and energy security. better public health and higher productivity.
_ We need to act as soon as possible. URSA is
_ Climate patterns are changing. The number of proud to be in the Energy Efficiency in Buildings But something is missing. The European political
natural disasters has multiplied in the last sector, as this is where action needs to leadership and the general public both fail to see
30 years. take place. the connection.
_ Recent IPCC reports claim things will only get _ Technical solutions that would enable nearly
worse. Big cities will be less habitable, and their zero energy building construction exist today.
climate even more hostile. Insulation is one of them and it is also an
energy source.
_ Scientific evidence points out that increased (A) Polar bears, one the species that are
levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are responsible most threatened by climate change.
_E
urope needs an ambitious Deep Energy
for increased temperatures and the Renovation plan for its building stock. We
greenhouse effect. (B) Most of the buildings in this picture believe that awareness and consciousness on
will still be standing in 2050. the part of the general public and political
European building stock needs to be leadership and ambition to drive the desperately
renovated to deep energy standards.
needed change are vital.
Better Energy Green
Climate Change climate security jobs
Europe
- energy efficiency -
Energy dependency
deep renovation
of building stock Economic
Fuel poverty Improved
growth and health and public
competitiveness finances
Public knowledge and consciousness + Political leadership
Thermal insulation has a great potential to reduce
energy demand and CO2 emissions from buildings.
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 07 • 08
URSA: A leading
insulation provider
URSA is a leading European building insulation 60 years of insulation expertise. Over the last decade we have engaged with
provider with headquarters in Madrid and sustainability with much greater intensity
turnover of around 500 Million Euros. We focus URSA’s history dates back to 1949, when than ever before, making sure we are a partner
on glass mineral wool and extruded polystyrene POLIGLAS began producing insulation materials to rely on in the long run. This has involved
(XPS) to insulate residential and non-residential in Spain. In 1988 POLIGLAS was acquired by looking hard at our performance in the different
buildings, both new and being renovated. the Uralita Group. In 1991, the German firm areas of sustainability: social, economic
Pfleiderer AG entered the insulation business. and environmental.
URSA has 13 production We employ around POLIGLAS, now owned by Uralita, expanded Starting in 2006, we implemented an action plan
predominantly in Western Europe through to reduce accident levels that has yielded very
sites in nine countries 1,800 people in the construction of new factories. Pfleiderer
concentrated on growing business in Eastern
positive and promising results. We have improved
the efficiency of our factories and reduced energy
and a commercial countries including Europe. In 2002, the Uralita Group purchased use and CO2 emissions. Over the last decade we
presence in around Austria, Belgium, the Pfleiderer’s insulation division. URSA, made up of have significantly improved our products, reaching
what was POLIGLAS and Pfleiderer was officially very low levels of thermal conductivity and higher
40 markets in Europe, Czech Republic, France, born in 2004. We have not stopped expanding
within Europe and beyond, launching innovative
thicknesses and enabling our customers to save
more energy in their homes and offices.
the Middle East and Germany, Italy, Poland, and award winning insulation products.
Northern Africa. Russia, Slovenia, Spain
We are positive about what the future could bring
Since our beginning we have been entirely – more energy efficiency, more comfort, more
and the UK. dedicated to the production and sales of
building insulation materials that reduce energy
quality of life.
consumption and CO2 emissions.
2013 2014
Revenues (Mio. EUR) 415 409
Markets where we are present 41 41
URSA key figures.
London Queis
Delitzs
Leipzig
Desselgem Pra
St. Avold V
Noisy-le-Grand
(Paris) Novo Mesto
Milan
Bondeno
Tarragona
Madrid
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 09 • 10
02.
Climate
change
Reasons why you
should take it
seriously
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 11 • 12
Why should you take
the climate change seriously
There are very clear signs that climate change in Pakistan, claimed the lives of hundreds more. Obama: No challenge poses a
is actually taking place. The number of extreme A study published by the Lancet Commission on
weather -and climate- related events is rising. Health and Climate Change (June 2015) suggests
greater threat than climate change.
Serious storms have more than doubled in that previous estimates of the future effect of
The subject of climate change is finally enjoying the
frequency since the early 1980s. Floods and heat global warming on health, made by the World
importance in US government policy it deserves.
waves have tripled or worse. Some irreversible Health Organisation and the Intergovernmental
This is expected to have a positive impact on global
processes are taking place, impacting weather Panel on Climate Change, are underestimates
awareness and should lead to real action and
patterns and making them more severe. The because they failed to take into account
stronger cooperation in climate change mitigation
consequences for humanity may be serious. A vulnerabilities caused by ageing, migration and
globally. In his 2015 State of the Union speech,
global vision and understanding is needed to population growth.
President Obama said:
address this threat to our planet.
During recent summers we have witnessed The number of extreme “No challenge -no challenge- poses a greater
weather -and climate-
threat to future generations than climate change.
extreme heat waves all over the globe. By mid
2014 was the planet’s warmest year on record.
summer of 2015, average temperatures have
been the highest since record-keeping began. related events has Now, one year doesn’t make a trend, but this does
-14 of the 15 warmest years on record have all
For example, India, was struck by a deadly heat
wave in May 2015. Temperatures as high as multiplied in frequency fallen in the first 15 years of this century.”
since the early 1980s.
“I’ve heard some folks try to dodge the evidence
47°C caused 2,200 deaths. Another heat wave,
by saying they’re not scientists; that we don’t
have enough information to act”, he continued.
“Well, I’m not a scientist either. But you know
what - I know a lot of really good scientists at
NASA, and NOAA, and at our major universities.
The best scientists in the world are all telling us
that our activities are changing the climate, and
if we do not act forcefully, we’ll continue to see
rising oceans, longer, hotter heat waves, dangerous
Disasters caused by weather and climate. droughts and floods, and massive disruptions that
can trigger greater migration, conflict and hunger
around the globe. The Pentagon says that climate
1,000 change poses immediate risks to our national
security. We should act like it. That’s why, over
800
the past six years, we’ve done more than ever
before to combat climate change, from the way we
produce energy to the way we use it“.
600
400
200
0
1980 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 2000 02 04 06 08 10 12 14
Meteorological events (storms)
Hydrological events (floods, landslides and avalanches)
Climatological events (extreme temperatures, droughts, forest fires) Source: Munich Re Source: US president Obama State of the Union speech.
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 13 • 14
Climate change
is happening now
It’s all about how we adapt to the global atmosphere and which is in addition
to natural climate variability, observed over
climate change, not whether it’s comparable time periods.
taking place - IPCC.
In recent decades, changes in climate have
Human Interference with the Climate impacted on natural and human systems on all
System is clear and undeniable, states the continents and across the oceans. Evidence of
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change climate-change impacts is strongest and most
(IPCC) in its 5th report. comprehensive for natural systems.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change The impact of recent climate-related extremes,
(IPCC) is the leading international body for the such as heat waves, droughts, floods, cyclones,
assessment of climate change. It was established and wildfires, reveal significant vulnerability and
by the United Nations Environment Programme exposure of some ecosystems and many human
(UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization systems to current climate variability. These
(WMO) in 1988 to provide the world with a include alteration of ecosystems, disruption of
clear scientific view on the current state of food production and water supply, damage to
knowledge about climate change and its potential infrastructure and settlements, morbidity and
environmental and socio-economic impacts. mortality, with consequences for mental health
1921 2009 and human well-being. For countries at all levels
IPCC defines climate change as a change of of development, these impacts are consistent
climate which is attributed directly or indirectly with a significant lack of preparedness for current
to human activity that alters the composition of climate variability in some sectors.
We should act to stop or limit it. The polar ice caps have melted faster in than last
20 years than in the previous 10,000.
We can already see the negative impact of climate A comprehensive satellite study confirms that
change already today. melting ice caps are raising sea levels at an
accelerating rate.
The average concentration of CO2 in the
atmosphere in 2014 was 398 ppm, which is
more than 140% higher than in pre-industrial
It is expected that
levels. This indicator is tracked by the Mauna Loa between 70% and 99%
Observatory in Hawaii. When records began being
kept in 1956, CO2 concentration was 316 ppm. of Everest’s glaciers
Carbon-dioxide emissions have risen relentlessly
and in the last couple of years the level of carbon
will be lost by the end
dioxide in the atmosphere increased at its fastest of the century.
rate for 30 years. (1)
According to projected CO2 concentrations in
The globally averaged temperature over land and 2100, only the glaciers at the altitude of above
ocean surfaces for June 2015 was the highest for 7.000 metres will remain.
the month of June since record keeping began in
1880. So far, the year 2015 is the warmest on
the record. (2)
(1) Source: www.co2now.org
(2) Source: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 15 • 16
Key risks across
sectors and regions
Wide range of sectors under 4. Marine systems. and non-food crops across the world is
predicted to be considerable.
threat of climate change need lobal marine-species’ redistribution and
G
adaptation policy. marine-biodiversity reduction in sensitive 9. K
ey economic sectors
regions will challenge the sustained provision
Dangerous anthropogenic interference with the of fisheries productivity and other ecosystem –
and services.
climate system is already causing severe impact related services. or most economic sectors, changes
F
on a wide range of sectors. The 5th IPCC report in population, age structure, income,
digs into details of key risks.
5. F
ood security and food technology, prices, lifestyle, regulation,
production systems. and governance are projected to be large,
relative to climate change.
aspects of food security are potentially
All
affected by climate change, including food 10. Human health.
access, utilisation, and price stability. For
1. Freshwater resources. example, the major crops (wheat, rice, and Until the mid-21st century, projected climate
he freshwater-related consequences of
T maize) in tropical and temperate regions. change will impact human health mainly by
climate change increase significantly with exacerbating health problems that already
increasing greenhouse gas concentrations. 6. Livelihoods
and poverty. exist. Climate change is expected to lead to
The percentage of the global population increases in ill-health in many regions and
experiencing water scarcity and the fraction limate-change is projected to slow down
C especially in developing countries with low
affected by major river floods will increase economic growth, making poverty reduction income, as compared to a baseline without
with the level of warming in the 21st century. more difficult, further eroding food security, climate change.
Climate change is predicted to reduce and prolonging existing and create new
renewable surface water and groundwater poverty traps, particularly in urban areas and 11. Human security.
resources significantly in most dry subtropical emerging hotspots of hunger.
Climate change is projected to increase the
regions, intensifying competition for water
among sectors. 7. Urban areas. displacement of people. Climate change can
indirectly increase risks of violent conflicts
Heat stress, extreme precipitation, inland in the form of civil war and inter-group
2. Terrestrial and and coastal flooding, landslides, air pollution, violence by amplifying well-documented
freshwater ecosystems. drought, and water scarcity pose risks in drivers of these conflicts such as poverty and
urban areas for people, assets, economies, economic shocks.
large proportion of both terrestrial
A
and ecosystems. Risks are amplified for those
and freshwater species faces increased
lacking essential infrastructure and services The impact of climate change on the critical
extinction risk under projected climate
or living in poor-quality housing and infrastructure and territorial integrity
change, especially as climate change
exposed areas. of many states is expected to influence
interacts with other factors such as habitat
national security policies. For example, land
modification, over-exploitation, pollution,
Reducing basic service deficits, improving inundation due to the sea level rising poses
and invasive species.
housing, and building resilient infrastructure risks to the territorial integrity
systems could significantly reduce vulnerability of small island states and states with
3. Coastal systems and and exposure in urban areas. extensive coastlines.
low-lying areas.
ue to sea level rise, coastal systems and
D
8. Rural areas.
low-lying areas will increasingly experience he impact on water availability and supply,
T
adverse impacts such as submergence, food security, and agricultural incomes,
coastal flooding, and coastal erosion. including shifts in production areas of food
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 17 • 1803.
Our operational
environment
Climate change,
energy security,
economic growth
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 19 • 20Acting on
climate change
Much more needs to be done by review its position and Europe should go for binding Eurima, the European Insulation Manufacturers
Association, of which URSA is part, struggles
the EU, starting now. energy efficiency 2030 targets.
aim for an ambitious to understand the economic, political or social
rationale behind such a low-level of ambition on
Europe is missing a energy efficiency targets Europe is believed to be energy efficiency. At a time when Europe is likely
historical opportunity by 2030. Our climate at the vanguard of the on the brink of an acute energy security crisis,
economic recovery once again shows signs of
to pursue an ambitious is changing at a pace global climate policy. So, stalling and millions of vulnerable consumers are
facing an increasing risk of fuel poverty.
and sustainable long- no one could imagine. the unambitious level of “It is mind-boggling” said Jan te Bos, Director-
term climate policy. To Mankind in general 2030 targets are even General of Eurima, “to see how our leaders have
missed a historic opportunity to show leadership,
date, it has set a very should think globally. less understandable. vision and ambition. Instead, they have decided to
hide behind short-term national interests and to
weak energy efficiency Much more needs to There is enough continue doing business in the past, rather than
indicative (non-binding) be done at a much economic substantiation in the future. Considering the multiple crises we
face, this is outrageous”.
target of only 27% by faster pace, than and scientific evidence
2030. Europe should previously thought. suggest that more
Unfortunately, as a global community, when it energy efficiency would
comes to climate change, we behave as if we
had alternative options of solving the current
bring great benefits to
crisis, other places to move to when our planet
is made uninhabitable, and time. It’s painful to
the society.
observe how humanity tackles, or better said,
ignores, the biggest crisis we have ever faced.
Currently, we have none of these three things.
What we do have is - urgency, and a huge
amount of work to be done.
The climate is changing
at a pace no one could
imagine. Mankind in general
should think globally. Much
more needs to be done at
a much faster pace, than
previously thought. Europe
should set the pace.
Source: Eurima.
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 21 • 22The best way of securing
our energy future is to reduce
energy demand
Europe is obliged to import the lion’s share of
its energy needs. In 2012, EU Member States Deep renovation of
collectively spent €421bn on energy imports
- €1.1bn a day, mostly wasted on inefficient
Europe’s building stock is
buildings. An amount of less than a quarter a sound and sustainable
of what is spent on energy imports would be
sufficient to roll-out a deep energy renovation pathway to EU’s energy
program in the EU. security. An amount
The greater part of energy imports comes from of less than a quarter
countries with political instabilities. This poses
a serious risk to EU’s energy security. Recent of what is spent on
developments in Russia and Ukraine have shifted
focus towards the need to reduce the EU’s
energy imports would Today’s European Ambitious, deep
dependency on external suppliers of be sufficient to roll-out a energy security crisis is a renovation of the
energy carriers.
deep energy renovation reminder of the scale and building stock would
nature of what is at stake: enable the sector
A recent paper by Ecofys, a consultancy in energy
and climate policy, addresses current European
program in the EU. a large proportion of our to reduce its own
dependence on energy imports and how deep energy imports -as much imports by 60% by
renovation of buildings contributes to reducing as 61% of the imported 2030 and 100%
such dependence. gas- is being used by 2050.
in buildings.
At present, the EU’s demand for natural gas is
the largest in the world, with a consumption of
around 4,700 TWh per year and a net import
share of around 65%. With oil, import dependency
is even higher.
Domestic production of oil and natural gas Deep renovation of EU building of all imported oil). Russia and Norway account
for about 1/4 of the imports each.
modestly contributes to the EU oil and gas stock should be a priority.
consumption. In 2011, 76% of all gas and oil (65%
of gas, 85%% of oil) was imported from outside A ‘deep renovation’ policy in the buildings sector
The present political crisis involving Russia and
of the EU. About one-third of these imports could quickly reduce the need for gas and oil,
Ukraine has again highlighted the geopolitical
originates from Russia (25% of all imported bringing back dependency on imports to zero
risks of imports and the vulnerability of the EU
natural gas, 32% of all imported oil). by 2050. The deep renovation scenario shows a
economy. Focusing on it significant amounts
reduction of gas consumption by 95% and of oil
of imports of gas and oil, Europe has been
consumption by 97%.
rethinking energy strategy.
It is striking that an amount of less than a quarter
Regarding the building sector, more than 1,700
Source: Ecofys research – “Deep renovation of buildings: An effective way to of what EU Member States currently spend on
decrease Europe’s energy import dependency”. TWh of energy is imported to Europe in total. 31%
energy imports would be sufficient to roll-out a
of all net imported oil and gas is consumed in the
‘Deep renovation’ means a high level of energy efficiency improvement at deep renovation program in the EU.
a rate of 2.3% of the building stock, with a high focus on the efficiency of the building sector (61% of all imported gas and 14%
building envelope and high use of renewable energy. This policy would lead
to a 75% reduction in final energy use by 2050 (compared to 2010). Including
cooling5, the present study estimates that the energy demand will be reduced
by at least 66%.
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 23 • 24Fuel poverty: An acknowledged
problem, tackled wrongly
Between 50 and 125 URSA offers a solution - energy
efficiency in buildings and thermal
million people in Europe and acoustic comfort.
are fuel poor. URSA is entirely dedicated to the production and
The study published by BPIE found that energy commercialisation of glass mineral wool (GMW)
subsidies and direct financial support for and extruded polystyrene (XPS) as thermal and
household heating cannot provide a long-term acoustic insulation materials for buildings.
solution to the fuel poverty problem. However,
deep energy renovation of building stock is a _ GMW: Glass Mineral Wool:
long-term answer to fuel poverty. Case studies
of EU countries financing measures against he main raw material of GMW is silica sand,
T
fuel poverty indicate that - even though energy one of the most abundant minerals on Earth. To
efficiency measures have proven to be the most produce GMW we also use a large percentage of
sustainable solution to the fuel poverty problem recycled glass.
- they receive lower funding compared to income
and fuel price support schemes. MW combines a unique set of thermal,
G
acoustic and fire safety benefits. It also has a
Unfortunately, there is more. Poor housing very positive environmental profile
Fuel poverty is a major social problem in Europe, conditions can also have a serious negative
which requires action across a range of policy impact on health and well-being. For example, ife cycle assessment of GMW shows that the
L
issues and at all political levels. Even though the health of elderly people, mental disability, energy needed for its production can be saved
there is no common European definition of fuel respiratory and circulatory problems are more than 500 times. Also, due to the inorganic
poverty, it is generally accepted as the condition adversely affected by fuel poverty. As a result, origins of its main raw materials, GMW is
of being unable to afford to keep one’s home poor indoor climate causes significant losses for naturally non combustible and parasite-
adequately heated. Normally, fuel poverty results entire economies, as it decreases productivity and repellent, without the need for additives. GMW
from a mix of three key factors: low household burdens public finances due to the requirement rolls and panels are compressed, allowing for
income, poor heating and insulation and high for increased medical assistance. more efficient transportation, and reducing
energy prices. environmental impact.
The solution is deep energy renovation of the
Research by the Building Performance Institute European building stock and a higher allocation _ XPS: Extruded Polystyrene:
Europe estimates that between 50 and 125 of EU Funds to renovation programmes targeting
million people in Europe are fuel poor. fuel poor, low-income and vulnerable categories he main raw material of XPS is polystyrene.
T
of people. XPS offers high levels of thermal resistance,
This important social need is addressed by URSA’s making it a great thermal insulator. It also
solutions. Our products help reduce the risk of achieves unparalleled levels of compressive
fuel poverty by lowering energy consumption strength and water resistance. This makes it an
for heating and cooling and cutting energy bills ideal choice for technically challenging building
significantly, while improving health. insulation applications like flat roofs
or perimeters.
The European Commission estimates that energy
efficiency in buildings could save €600 per
household by 2020.
Source: BPIE study – “Alleviating fuel poverty in the EU”.
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 25 • 26Our products save energy
and provide comfort in all
building applications URSA PureOne. URSA AIR.
Soft, formaldehyde free and durable URSA When it comes to energy efficient air
URSA’s strong and consistent brand portfolio PureOne is our premium brand and probably conditioning, URSA AIR is the most effective
more than meets the energy efficiency and the best product on the market. Due to its acryl solution. The rigid and high-density panels
acoustic comfort needs of our customers. based technology, it is a durable solution that of URSA AIR are specially designed for self-
Our wide portfolio also allows for a balance of helps to greatly increase Indoor Air Quality. mounting insulation of air-conditioning shafts
different applications and segments. and ducts. URSA AIR is quick and easy to install
URSA GEO. and more flexible than traditional metal ducts.
This high-quality and cost-effective mineral URSA XPS.
wool has outstanding thermal and acoustic
insulation properties. Fire resistant, it’s ideal for This product is ideal for technically demanding
safe thermal and sound insulation of pitch roofs, applications such as flat roofs or cellars, being
partitions, external walls and ceilings. able to resist high pressure loads and where
resistance to moisture, water and salty or acidic
soils is required.
(Please bear in mind that our products may have
different brand names in certain markets.)
(A)
GMW and XPS are used mainly in residential and Our key applications are:
commercial buildings to prevent heat transfer and
offer acoustic comfort. _ Pitched roofs. (B)
_ External walls.
_ Partition walls.
_ Flat roofs. URSA PureOne URSA Geo
_ Flooring.
_ Ceilings.
_ Foundations.
_ Air conditioning ducts.
(A) URSA Air
(B) URSA XPS
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 27 • 28The three pillars of Energy efficiency of our
sustainability are addressed products: from production
at product level to use phase
Our insulation materials Social benefits. Health, comfort Saving energy through thermal High compressibility.
and security. insulation.
contribute to sustainable GMW, a significant part of our offering, is highly
development on _ Thermal insulation makes homes and offices
more comfortable, contributing to higher
URSA’s products help save more than 500 times
the energy required in their production. Our
compressible, which allows for major benefits
in terms of transportation. An unpacked roll
three levels and most productivity and better public health. portfolio addresses the biggest energy waster of
can be compressed more than 10 times. So,
fewer trucks are necessary to transport more
importantly help tackle _ URSA’s glass mineral wool products offer high
all - buildings - and helps tackle climate change
by enabling the more efficient use of energy.
energy saving products and we can store more
climate change. levels of acoustic comfort as well as security
of our product on a warehouse floor than non-
compressible materials.
in case of fire. Glass mineral wool and extruded Avoiding CO2 emissions.
polystyrene also help improve indoor thermal
Environment. and air quality comfort. During the lifetime of our products, CO2 emissions
_ Resource efficiency because less energy are reduced because less energy is wasted.
_ More energy efficient building stock would Savings are 250 times greater than the CO2
is consumed, a smaller transportation
reduce Europe’s dependence on energy imports generated during production and transportation.
infrastructure is necessary and fewer CO2
and provide more energy security.
emissions are generated. A higher amount of
recycled content is used and there is a reduced Efficient use of raw materials and
need for virgin raw materials. Economy. high recycled content use.
_ Thermal insulation in buildings generates _ Deep energy efficiency renovation would The resources used in manufacturing our
substantial energy savings. 1 sq. m. of URSA generate jobs, economic growth, and save products are more than outweighed by a
glass mineral wool can save the equivalent of money for governments and individuals. 1 euro building’s’ use phase, thanks to their unique
around 400 litres of oil during its life cycle. The invested in insulation = 7 saved! way of saving energy. A high amount of recycled
same square metre of glass wool insulation content is used in producing both GMW and XPS.
could prevent the emission of 343 kg of CO2 _ For consumers, insulation also saves money. With GMW, recycled glass is used and damaged
during its life cycle. (1) Every euro invested in insulation will save products are reused, minimising production
7 Euros over the product’s lifetime as less waste. To make XPS we use a considerable
energy is used to reach a higher level amount of recycled polystyrene, and recycle
of comfort. products that didn’t pass internal quality checks.
Recycled content 2012 2013 2014
Glass Mineral Wool 39% 38% 49%
(1) The reference product is 1sq. m of URSA GEO with lambda 0,032 W/(m·K)
and thickness of 100mm.
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 29 • 30URSA products are leading
in sustainability assessment Rheinau Art Office
-Cologne-
It is part of URSA’s strategy to promote the use Environmental Product Headquarters of Microsoft
of Life Cycle Assessment and the generation of
Environmental Product Declarations (EPD). We
Declarations (France). Germany. URSA’s products were
used in this project.
believe this is a truly objective way to compare
Fiches de Déclaration Environnementales et
products. Many environmental labels focus on a
Sanitaires (FDES) des Produits de construction
very limited number of indicators. For this reason
is a French scheme generating Environmental
we have certified a large number of our products
Product Declarations. A number of URSA products
according to respected EPD schemes in different
have been certified and corresponding documents
markets. We will continue do so, contributing to
are publicly available at www.inies.fr.
transparency in sustainability.
The Ecomaterial Absolute award IBU and DAPc (Germany and
(Russia). Spain).
We have also made Environmental Product
Declarations according to the German Institut
Ecomaterial Absolute is the highest Ecostandard
Bauen und Umwelt (IBU) scheme and the
rank in Russia for environmentally friendly
Spanish Declaración Ambiental de Productos de
products. URSA has reached the top level of this
Construcción (DAPc), two national schemes that
very demanding certification.
standardise the generation of environmental
product declarations.
The award is based on a LCA. The certificate
specifies that URSA ‘s glass mineral wool product
is highly recommended not only for housing
construction and renovation, but also for the
construction and renovation of buildings that
require the lowest environmental impact such as
schools, hospitals and other medical institutions.
European Environmental Product
Declaration (norm 15804).
URSA is proud to be the first company to receive
a European Environmental Product Declaration
TYPE III according to new EN 15804.
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 31 • 3204.
URSA’s
evolution
What we have
been doing and
plan to do
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 33 • 34URSA’s production line in
Bondeno is reopened after
the earthquake Our factory was rebuilt in The town of Bondeno’s Mayor, Alan Fabbri, and
productive activities city councillor, Simone
record time. The structure is Saletti, seen here with Uralita Group President,
earthquake resistant.
We fall, only to learn to Javier Serratosa, and factory manager Simone
Marescotti. Company representatives conveyed
stand up stronger than For URSA, this factory represents an example of
our employees’ high qualification and commitment
words of thanks to the Town Council of Bondeno,
who, from the very beginning, allowed URSA
before. The day of 20th URSA is here to stay. We
to the project. Simone Marescotti, the head
engineer in charge of the plant, said: “After
to make use of City Council premises to install
of May 2012 seemed to have rebuilt our factory achieving permission to reconstruct the factory,
provisional offices in order to continue to
offer administrative support to clients and
be the darkest in URSA’s and now supply our and obtaining the necessary funds, building works
have been carried out as fast as possible”.
material providers.
partners with high quality
recent history. In one XPS products, while From the very start of the rebuilding process
day we lost a colleague, offering green employment and all through the plant’s reconstruction, we
had a factory completely once more. have remembered Tarik Naouch, a dear colleague
who lost his life in the devastating earthquake.
collapse, and saw our A plaque in his honour is displayed in the new
factory. Reconstruction of the plant has been
entire Italian team achieved in record time. The 50,000 square
overwhelmed with fear metre facility has a strong earthquake resistant
structure, is highly industrialised and also
and uncertainties about technologically advanced.
the future.
We walk the talk.
By contrast, the 11th of December 2014 was Our new factory in
a bright day. Our XPS factory was re-opened,
maintaining our connection to the social
Bondeno was insulated to
and economic fabric of Ferrara, despite the the highest standards. We
serious crisis and stagnation prevailing in the not only produce energy
building industry. efficiency materials,
we do also use
We have received constant support from local and
regional authorities, who allowed URSA to make
them ourselves.
use of City Council premises to install provisional
offices, in order to continue administrative
support for clients and material providers.
URSA’s Bondeno team during the XPS
production re-opening.
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 35 • 36Positive outlook as URSA joins Celebrating 20 years of
the KKR’s Green Solutions mineral wool production
Platform after acquisition by URSA in Germany
Uralita Group, URSA’s URSA’s mineral wool Sven Morlok, Saxony’s Minister for Economy,
Labor and Traffic underlined the importance of
parent company factory in Delitzsch foreign investors to the Free State of Saxony,
saying “Production facilities like those of URSA
until June 2015, has (Germany) celebrated strengthen the competitiveness of the Saxon
restructured its debt, its 20th anniversary economy, ensuring growth and prosperity in
the state”.
handing over its 90% together with many Dr. Manfred Wilde highlighted the good relations
stake in URSA to a New guests, including between URSA and the city of Delitzsch. He drew
York based investment personalities from parallels between the main objective of URSA,
supporting energy saving in buildings and the
fund - KKR. politics and business as efforts of the Delitzsch community to improve
energy efficiency. Delitzsch has received a
well as employees European Energy Award.
URSA is now a part of Green Solutions Portfolio
(GSP), which is KKR’s pioneering environmental
who have shown their
initiative. The GSP seeks to drive business loyalty and commitment
and environmental value by working with and
highlighting the work of participating companies to the company for the
across a wide variety of focus areas. The GSP
includes companies focusing on eco-efficiency
last 20 years. Founding
improvements, advancing eco-innovation, and/or members of staff were
offering a solution to environmental problems as
core to their business mandate. awarded for their long-
This is good news for URSA. As the company
standing commitment
changes ownership structure, new perspectives during the official event.
arise. URSA starts a new page, as relief from debt
and reduction of financial costs (interest on the In his welcoming remarks, Christian Michel,
debt) mean more freedom and new opportunities Managing Director of URSA Insulation, stressed
for URSA. the importance of the Delitzsch production
facilities for the URSA group. Manuel Geremías
Debt relief, financial At URSA, we are inspired by the new Carnero, Managing Director of Operating Unit
costs reduction and a opportunities and are currently executing the new Central, spoke of economic success, confirmed by
investment plan. This means modernisation of 20 years in existence and continuous expansion
new, more ambitious existing manufacturing lines and active search for on site: “20 years are proof of success. This
Investment Plan all new growth platforms, including new production we owe to many factors, such as the good
look very promising lines, entry into exciting and growing markets and political conditions in the country, well-trained
for URSA. promising applications. professionals in the region and especially our
strong URSA team”.
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 37 • 38URSA present at URSA shows its Sustainable
Germany’s BAU Fair Insulation Solutions at
BATIMAT Trade Fair
URSA engages with
partners to develop
insulation solutions
that can be applied to
create more energy -
efficient buildings.
At BATIMAT, we took the opportunity to show our
insulation solutions to visitors, highlighting our
range of mineral wool and extruded polystyrene,
and presenting the latest additions. BATIMAT
was a great success for us, with more than 1900
visitors and over 1800 URSA Guides distributed
in five days.
BATIMAT provides a powerful boost for the spread
of new products through the building market and
a real springboard for manufacturers who are
URSA actively participated at BAU 2015, the acoustic insulation of the pitched roof above the
launching innovations. This is the main reason
Architecture, Materials and Systems Fair which rafters. One of the biggest attractions of the stand
that 96% of the exhibitors give for taking part.
was held in Munich (Germany), between the 19th was the URSA Blackbox, a photography studio
and 24th of January. We had a 115 square metre where visitors could receive their own snapshot
stand, where our new corporate image, and and leave messages for the company, which were
innovative products and solutions - developed to screened during the Fair. For Otten, the exhibition
achieve sustainability and energy efficiency in was a real success as shown by the increasing
the buildings where were they are installed – number of visitors to the stand this year and the
were introduced. high level of professional contacts made during
the six days.
According to Natalya Otten, Marketing Director at
URSA Germany, “URSA took part in BAU 2015 to BAU 2015 introduced new materials and
satisfy the increasing demands of our customers architecture systems for housing industrial
looking for personalised custom solutions and building, as well as dwellings and interiors.
systems tailored to their needs”. The product range exhibited was classified into
construction materials and in product areas,
In addition to our products, URSA presented a paying special attention to sustainable building.
brief history of our main landmarks and prizes More than 1900 exhibitors from 43 countries
in the last seven years. We introduced our most participated, throughout the 17 pavilions of the
pioneering materials, like the new ASP 32 PLUS, Messe München.
a new mineral wool panel, ideal for thermal or
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 39 • 40World Sustainable Building Customers choose - URSA
Conference 2014 in Barcelona: receives, for the second time,
URSA’s active role the “Trophée de la Maison”
URSA’s profile at the “As manufacturers, our commitment has been to
support this Conference from the very beginning,
The prize is given by the most objective jury: 20
French consumers who try several products in
World Sustainable Efrén del Pino said, adding “We understand that
it can be a key starting point to make things
their own homes and in actual conditions before
issuing their final verdict. We’re delighted to
Building Conference, change within the building sector and sets the announce that PureOne by URSA has achieved the
World SB14 in basis to develop roadmaps and action plans
within the sector in different markets around
“Trophée de la Maison” 2014-2015 owing to its
excellent insulating properties.
Barcelona, which took the world. The Conference gathers together the
main stakeholders that work for sustainability in This important French prize, awarded since 1997,
place from the 28th to building. URSA wanted to be by their side.” is given by a completely independent association,
the 30th October was unconnected to any mass media representatives,
distribution chain or professional organisation.
high. As a Platinum Every year, to select the winners in each category,
more than 30,000 real tests are carried out,
Sponsor, the company making the “Maison” the primary quality control
was fully involved centre in France.
in preparations for PureOne by URSA is a white, top performing
mineral wool with a high fire resistance rating
this important global that contributes to improving buildings’ interior
gathering which united air quality. It is a material of natural origin, 100%
recyclable which offers important thermal and
the leading stakeholders acoustic improvements.
in sustainable building. Consumers also valued the material’s soft
and smooth touch and its easy handling and
World SB14 Barcelona was organised by GBCe installation, both in rolls and panels.
and promoted by CIB (Conseil International de
Batîment), iiSBE (International Initiative for a
Sustainable Built Environment), UNEP-SBCI
(Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative)
and FIDIC (International Federation of Consulting
Engineers), and counted on the collaboration
of WGBC (World Green Building Council). The
Sustainable Building Conference Series, of which
World SB14 Barcelona was part, is the largest
global meeting aimed at debating different
aspects of sustainable building.
Source: http://www.ursa.com/en-us/news/Pages/ursa-pureone-receives-
for-the-second-time-the-trophee-de-la-maison-awarded-by-french-
consumers.aspx
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 41 • 42URSA AIR wins the innovation URSA is awarded as the
ISO award 2014 “Supplier of the year 2013”
The jury picked URSA AIR from among
by EURO-MAT Group
numerous candidates as the most innovative
product –the winner of the ISO AWARD. Key
elements underlining this decision were the URSA was awarded the “SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR Mr. Lucien Hardt, General Manager of EURO-MAT,
product’s uniqueness, innovative within the field 2013“ in the category “building materials” for our had the pleasure to give the award to URSA on
of application, its cost efficiency and the way commitment to commercial excellence, especially behalf of all the EURO-MAT members. URSA was
handling and installation conditions have for impressive business evolution by key members represented by Mr. Christian Michel, CEO URSA
been improved. and excellent communication. insulation S.A. and Mr. Pascal Moret, Managing
Director URSA OU Central. “It is a great honor
The ISO AWARD, one of Europe’s most important
innovation prizes, was awarded to URSA AIR This prestigious award for URSA to receive this award,” Pascal said. “I
want to thank all our partners at EURO-MAT for
because of its combination of distinctive system
innovations in the area of thermal insulation,
was granted during the selecting URSA as supplier of the year 2013.
Thanks to you we managed to strengthen and to
air-conditioning, noise reduction and its fire VIII Forum of EURO-MAT develop our market position as one of the leading
protection properties during the ISO International
Trade Fair for Industrial Insulation Materials and Suppliers, held in Palma insulation suppliers. The award is a recognition of
our strong performance and at the same time an
Technology. The URSA AIR Team, consisting of
technical and product specialists and marketing
de Mallorca, Spain, from appreciation of the engagement of each employee
at URSA.”
experts from URSA, received the ISO AWARD 17th to 19th April 2014.
on Wednesday the 7th of May 2014 during the
On Wednesday 7th May official reception prior to the opening of the ISO
trade fair in Cologne, Germany.
The EURO-MAT Suppliers’ Forum received a very
positive response from all the attendees. During
2014 URSA AIR was Available since 2013, URSA AIR is now conquering
the international benchmarking platform, more
voted most innovative
than 130 participants from industry and trade
the German market. Some flagship buildings in had professional and high-quality meetings that
and unique product by Germany have already been equipped with URSA
AIR air-conditioning and ventilation ducts. With
could deepen existing contacts and establish new
opportunities for their respective businesses.
the jury of the ISO – its numerous advantages, URSA AIR outperforms
traditional applications using sheet metal ducts
International Trade and separate insulation. URSA AIR facilitates
Fair for Industrial a new way of manufacturing insulated air-
conditioning and ventilation ducts. For planners,
Insulation Materials installers, builders and investors the ducts offer
many advantages in terms of flexibility, energy
and Technology. and cost efficiency. URSA AIR is a first choice
product that secures both good health and well-
being in buildings.
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 43 • 44URSA’s products
in action
Family
Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. top performing mineral wool, with a high fire- House
resistance rating and which contributes to
The famous Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow reopened improve, notably, the interior air quality. It is a -Barcelona-
its doors after several years of restoration. material of natural origin, 100% recyclable, which
Major renovation works, which cost over 21,000 offers important advantages in thermal and
million roubles - around 500 million euro -, have acoustic insulation, helping to improve buildings’
returned the Theatre’s appearance to what it was sustainability. On top of this insulation, wooden
in 1856. panels – made out of the “resonance fir tree” –
were placed, identical to the original ones
One of the main goals of the repairs was to used in 1825 that made the Theatre’s sound
improve the Theatre’s acoustics, attempting to quality unique.
bring the sound quality back to the standards that
made it the best in the world. To achieve this, As well as restoring the main concert hall, the
the design team trusted URSA, selected among Bolshoi duplicated its size. An underground
manufacturers from all around the world to fit the concert hall was built, 20.5 metres deep and with
Bolshoi’s insulation. the capacity to hold 330 spectators. Owing to its
proximity to the city’s metro train line, this space,
The Theatre’s original acoustics had been called the Beethoven hall, had to be especially
completely changed by the last Soviet renovation insulated to protect it from train vibrations.
works, where reinforced concrete was used. To
recover the excellent sound quality, as well as During the 6 years of renovation works, more Energy efficient family house Each URSA TERRA Vento panel is finished with
an outer veil that protects the inside layer of
stripping the entire space from any traces of than 3000 people participated in the project. by Joaquín Torres. mineral wool from weather conditions during
concrete, URSA’s PureOne was used: a white
construction of the ventilated façade. In addition,
Joaquín Torres, known as the “architect of the
panels are covered by another black thin veil
stars”, is one of the most popular representatives
which repels water.
of contemporary Spanish architecture. Co-
founder of ACero Arquitectos, together with Rafael
URSA TERRA was also the material chosen for
Llamazares and Alberto Peris, the architect is
Bolshoi the author of this modern single-family home,
belonging to a famous football player and located
the interiors of the building. These panels comply
with all the thermal insulation requirements
Theatre in the sea-side town of Gavà.
of the Spanish Technical Building Code. URSA
TERRA offers a high fire class (A1), also increasing
-Moscow- To achieve the best insulation for the ventilated
acoustic insulation and comfort in buildings.
façade and interior living spaces, the architect
prescribed the use of URSA’s TERRA range
of materials.
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 45 • 46National
Stadium Despite its retractable
-Warsaw- roof, the stadium is
an open structure with
a similar temperature
inside and outside
its walls; hence its
constructors and
architects trusted
URSA for the insulation
National Stadium in Warsaw. facilities in Warsaw, capable of holding up to
1,600 people.
Red and silver are the colours of the team
The construction of the national stadium was
that plays its matches here, the National Team
carried out by a German-Austrian-Polish
of Poland. The National Stadium in Warsaw
consortium led by the Alpine Bau group. Both
(Narodowy Stadion, in Polish) is one of the most
the construction multinational and the team of
modern football pitches in Europe. It is also the
architects – formed by JSK Architects, SL, GMP-
largest football stadium in Poland, with seating
von Gerkan, Marg und Partner Architekten and
for more than 58,000 spectators, in a country
SBP-Schleich Bergermann und Partner - trusted
where - as in many countries across Europe-
URSA for the insulation of this great complex.
football is a religion.
URSA AKP3 / V, a mineral glass wool insulation
One of its peculiarities is the retractable PVC roof,
material presented in panels and reinforced with
which unfolds from a spine suspended in the
a black glass mesh fabric on one of its sides
centre of the playing field and was inspired by the
played a key role in this project In addition to a
system at the Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt
low thermal conductivity, this insulating material
(Germany). The retractable roof structure is 240
offers exceptional sound absorption and a high
metres by 270 metres large, with the central
fire resistance rating (class A1).
spire located at a height of 124 metres, over
the Vistula river and 100 metres above the
URSA TWP Silentio was also used in the
playing field.
insulation of this stadium. A perfect choice for this
venue, the material has a great capacity for sound
This is a multi-purpose space: in addition to
absorption, is non-combustible and has a great
football matches, the complex is equipped to host
resistance to weight loads.
other sporting events, concerts, cultural events
and conferences. It has the largest conference
Insulation is energy. URSA’s Sustainability Report. Page 47 • 48You can also read
