In a recently completed pilot project, BASF, together with the housing society ABG FRANKFURT HOLDING and the manufacturer of external thermal insulation composite systems Sto, successfully used an insulation board based on expandable polystyrene (EPS) containing recycled material.

The thermal insulation composite manufacturer Sto, BASF as a producer of polystyrene-based raw materials for insulation boards and the Frankfurt housing society ABG have been business partners for decades. This was also the reason for implementing a pilot project with EPS insulation boards with an improved sustainability profile. For this purpose, around 10 percent of the polystyrene was replaced by an EPS recyclate in the production of the raw material. The technical tests showed that the newly developed board meets the same quality standards as standard market products. “The result allows us to look to the future with optimism, as our aim is to incorporate a significantly higher proportion of sustainable substitutes into our external thermal insulation composite systems. In the interests of the environment, we aim to keep the carbon footprint of our products as low as possible,” says Dr. Frank Börner, Regional Manager Rhine-Main in Project Management at Sto.

ABG, one of the largest housing societies in the Rhine-Main region, has been focusing on sustainable solutions for the thermal insulation of buildings for years. This is why the company also provided significant support for this pilot project. The new insulation board was installed on the façade of one of its existing buildings with 52 residential units in Frankfurt am Main as part of an energetic modernization project. “Good insulation saves energy, limits heating costs and avoids CO2 emissions. If we as a housing society can help to conserve fossil resources in the production of EPS boards through the use of recycled material, we are happy to support this further development as an active partner,” emphasizes Frank Junker, Chairman of the ABG Management Board. There were no differences for the craftsmen compared to conventional EPS products when working with the panels on the ABG property.

The raw material Neopor® F 5 McycledTM developed by BASF is a graphite-containing expandable polystyrene granulate containing 10 percent recycled material. “The recyclate comes from mechanically recycled EPS waste and contributes to the recycling loop. The aim is to use also other recyclate streams for the production of Neopor® McycledTM in the future, for example EPS off-cuts from construction sites,” explains Klaus Ries, Head of Business Management Styrenics Europe at BASF. ” Neopor® McycledTM is just one example of our sustainable portfolio. We also offer the biomass-balanced Neopor® BMB, which has a significantly reduced product carbon footprint compared to traditionally produced Neopor®.” All those involved see the pilot project as forward-looking and want to continue working closely together on sustainability issues.