Ecological Alternative

2023 Author: Hannah Pearcy | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 11:39

Natural products such as wood and hemp are experiencing a renaissance in construction. Natural products and sustainable product innovations that are based on nature are in demand. And this trend continues. It therefore makes sense to focus more on ecological alternatives to common insulation materials and established paints. According to leading market research institutes, an above-average increase in demand can be expected in this market segment.

Particular attention is paid here to the Capatect insulation board made from the regionally renewable organic raw material hemp - one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. The new generation of thermal insulation is renewable, sustainable and natural. The insulation board consists of natural raw materials that bind significant amounts of carbon dioxide during their growth and are very easy to recycle. Product properties such as high diffusion openness or improved noise and heat protection are also among the advantages of this thermal insulation. "As a renewable raw material for insulation, we see hemp as a trend-setting solution," said Caparol managing director Dr. Tony Horneff. Particularly noteworthy are the good insulating properties of the material in combination with its impressive ecological balance: "Hemp stores more carbon dioxide than for cultivation, harvesting,Processing and transport into the atmosphere."

After years of intensive research, engineers from the Austrian DAW sales company Synthesa have succeeded in developing full-fledged insulation products for the facade from the almost tear-resistant hemp fibers. In May last year, the new hemp production started in Haugsdorf (Austria). In the meantime, numerous test objects have been realized and production is in full swing. Caparol application technicians were trained in intensive training courses, which in turn now train country-by-country from handicraft companies on how to use the material. The foundation is thus laid. At the Paint, Finishing & Facade trade fair, Caparol officially introduces the new hemp fiber ETICS under the name Natur + into the German market.

This means that specialist painters can offer end customers who are critical of conventional insulation an ecological alternative when it comes to facade insulation. “We are offering the market a real, natural innovation that will be particularly popular in single and two-family houses. This can save a significant amount of CO2 and at the same time maximize the quality of life in households,”says Horneff.