Hemp ETICS

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

At the FAF 2016 fair, Caparol presents a hemp ETICS. Attractive market opportunities for painters and plasterers.

Innovative products are created when tried-and-tested materials and state-of-the-art production processes come together with a lot of expertise and a good dose of idealism. This formula also seems to be the basis of the new Capatect Natur + facade insulation from Caparol.

The insulation system is based on hemp. The oldest cultivated plant in the world has been used by humans for 7,000 years. Hemp has excellent ecological properties. Neither fertilizer nor pesticides are required for cultivation. The plant binds a lot of CO2. It grows to a height of around four meters in just three months and can be harvested. The way from the Austrian growing area to the state-of-the-art production facilities of Caparol is short. Short transport routes - another argument that speaks for the sustainability of the product.

Ecological alternative

Master painter Michael Mayr from Lindenberg in the Allgäu is the fifth generation to manage a painting company. He and his father had ten employees. When Mayr saw Caparol's hemp insulation board for the first time at a dealer in May, he found it exciting. "The motto of our company has always been to be open to new developments."

The product was actually not yet on the market. When the manufacturer asked him whether he wanted to test the system in practice, Mayr immediately agreed. By coincidence he had to insulate an apartment building in Lindau on Lake Constance at the time. “I spontaneously offered the building owner the hemp alternative. When I told them about the many advantages of the material, they agreed."

Everyone is thrilled with the result. “The builders were very satisfied. They now have an ecological product on their walls. Above all, however, the improved sound insulation has caused positive reactions,”reports Mayr. He himself is also convinced of the hemp ETICS. This shows that he got a special scaffolding tarpaulin. “We thought: If we are doing something very special here, then it should be known. We then received many inquiries. That shows that we are serving a trend.”The desire for sustainability.

High-tech product

Volker Tank can only confirm this trend. Tank is a graduate mineralogist and project manager for hemp at Caparol. “More and more building owners are placing great value on ecological materials. They are willing to accept higher prices for this.”He is convinced of hemp as an insulating material. “Because of its many properties, hemp is an extremely good building material for insulation. In terms of thermal insulation values, it is in no way inferior to conventional products. Its sound insulation values are even much better. Hemp is open to diffusion and ensures a pleasant indoor climate.”Caparol had been doing research for around 13 years before launching the product on the market, Tank reports. "We have developed completely new machines for panel production." Around 300 buildings have already been successfully insulated with hemp in Europe, and around 50 in Germany."We have gained a lot of experience and provide a mature product."

Market opportunity

Master painter Michael Mayr sees hemp as a great market opportunity. “Thermal insulation is now part of the basic ecological consensus. However, styrofoam meets with reservations from some of the population. Mayr is convinced that with hemp insulation as an alternative he can appeal to new customers and expand his customer base.

Tank also predicts a great future for the hemp ETICS. You don't have to do any big advertising for it, "the market is coming towards us." Mayr, the painter, also wants to continue to stir the drum. "We will present the system to all of our customers at an open house." He is certain: "We do not go into a price downward spiral with other providers for such orders. We present ourselves to the customer as a company with modern services and solutions and can therefore also recommend ourselves for other high-quality orders."

The processing of hemp attracts attention - especially if you point this out with a scaffolding tarpaulin.

Photo: Maler Mayr GmbH

Kai Sonntag Source: Malerblatt 02/2016