Armacell quantifies emissions avoided by insulation

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An independent study commissioned by Armacell calculated the impact of two of its product lines: ArmaFlex, used in commercial and residential settings, and ArmaGel, used in industrial applications. Based on 2025 net sales, the study estimates ArmaFlex products avoid 2.7 tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions per cubic metre, while ArmaGel products avoid 114.5 tonnes of CO2-equivalent per cubic metre. The figures were calculated on a forward-looking basis across the products' assumed service lives.

"In 2025, we further advanced our understanding of our environmental impact by quantifying Scope 4 emissions," said Laurent Musy, Armacell's president and chief executive.

"The emissions avoided by one cubic metre of ArmaGel, for example, are estimated to be equivalent to what 25 medium-sized passenger cars would emit in a whole year,” he said.

Researchers used a heat transfer-based methodology to estimate emissions associated with heat loss in heating pipework and heat gain in cooling and industrial pipework where the insulation is installed. They compared the products' estimated use-phase emissions against a reference scenario using mineral wool, a widely used insulation material, to arrive at the avoided-emissions figures. Variables included thermal conductivity, insulation thickness, product lifetime, pipe dimensions, operating temperatures, heating and cooling days, and operating hours.

The company said the avoided-emissions figures are reported separately from its Scope 1-3 emissions inventory and are not netted or offset against those figures. The methodology follows guidance on avoided emissions from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Armacell employs more than 3,100 people across twenty-six production plants in twenty countries, operating two business units: Advanced Insulation and Engineered Foams.