ROCKWOOL® joins national sustainability benchmarking group

Published by Andrew Eagles for Sustainable Homes in Housing and also in Central Government, Communities, Environment, Health, Local Government

ROCKWOOL^®, the world’s leading provider of stone wool insulation, is proud to become the  latest corporate partner of the Sustainable Homes Index For Tomorrow (SHIFT).

The only initiative to provide a comprehensive environmental benchmark for affordable housing providers the Sustainable Homes Index For Tomorrow (SHIFT) was developed with the support of  the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), WWF, the Mayor of London and UK Green Building Council (UKGBC).

ROCKWOOL® has a proven track record in supporting a more energy efficient and safe built environment.  With decades of experience and a positive track-record of supplying one of the most sustainable insulation products available, ROCKWOOL® uses diabase rock to manufacture its products which is an endless resource and is extracted without any adverse impact on the natural environment. Rockwool continues to exemplify the ideology of continual improvement. 

Thomas Heldgaard, Managing Director of ROCKWOOL^® UK and Ireland said: “ROCKWOOL^® understands the importance of combating many of our environmental issues through improvements to the built environment.  From the sustainable resources we use, to the processes and standards we employ in manufacturing and installation, we have received various accolades in support of our mission.  We are delighted to partner with SHIFT as this allows further means of supporting our clients as they address issues such as fuel poverty, rising energy costs and the climate change agenda.”

Andrew Eagles, Managing Director of Sustainable Homes also welcomed the partnership, saying: “We are very pleased to welcome ROCKWOOL^®to SHIFT.  As an experienced organisation with a proven record in retrofit we can see this being of real use as we assist our members to move further towards lower carbon.”

SHIFT is the comprehensive environmental benchmark administrated by Sustainable Homes. In addition to ROCKWOOL®, corporate partners include Devonshires Solicitors, Diamond Build, H+H, Inside Housing, Kingspan Potton, Mears, SolarTech and VPhase. Members are accredited on a scale of Bronze to Platinum. SHIFT was launched in 2008 and has grown in popularity since then to now have over 50 organisations involved.

SHIFT is recognised by the Homes and Communities Agency as a useful tool to reduce environmental impacts and to improve “place-making”. The Chartered Institute of Housing also recognises SHIFT as an environmental accreditation scheme. 

Notes to Editors:

About ROCKWOOL®

ROCKWOOL® is the world’s largest producer of stonewool insulation and the second largest insulation producer globally. The group has annual sales of Euro 1.8 billion and employs over 9,300 staff in more than 33 countries. It has 22 factories around the world including Pencoed, near Bridgend, South Wales.

ROCKWOOL® insulation is created from naturally occurring volcanic Diabase rock with the ore smelted and spun into fibres to create a wide range of insulation materials, ranging from loft insulation rolls to impact-resistant roofing boards. It is also bonded to produce high performance panels.

ROCKWOOL® provides a four-in-one solution that is made of sustainable materials with unmatched durability, fire protection and excellent acoustic properties. This year alone, the insulation products produced by ROCKWOOL® will save more than 200 million tonnes of CO2.

ROCKWOOL® insulation is 97% recyclable and can be re-smelted and spun into new stone wool insulation rolls and panels.  ROCKWOOL® was founded in 1937 in Denmark; its largest shareholder is The ROCKWOOL® Foundation.

SHIFT

The SHIFT Index was established with the support of the Homes and Communities Agency, Tenant Services Authority, UK Green Building Council, WWF UK and the Greater London Authority. Sustainable Homes acts as the secretariat for SHIFT Index and is the leading provider of sustainable housing training and consultancy in the UK. www.sustainablehomes.co.uk

For more information about SHIFT please contact:

Andrew Eagles, Managing Director, Sustainable Homes

andrew@sustainablehomes.co.uk                 020 8973 0420

For further information on ROCKWOOL®, please contact:

Will Ray, Energy Design Centre Manager, ROCKWOOL®.

will.ray@rockwool.com                                  0208 222 7420