Eco-friendly insulation and sustainable ways of working
In 2020, the construction industry in the UK was responsible for approximately 11.4 million metric tons of CO2 emissions. While 11% less than the year before, a huge effort is still needed to combat climate change. At YBS, we not only manufacture eco-friendly insulation products that help increase the energy performance of buildings all over the UK; we also invest in sustainable ways of working as a company, using for instance electrical forklifts in and around our warehouse. Read on to find out how we are taking a leading role in driving the insulation and construction industry to be more sustainable.
Enhanced energy efficiency
As the UK’s market leader of high-quality reflective insulation, YBS puts sustainability at the core of its operations. Our durable and high-performance insulation solutions are an important means to enhance the energy efficiency of the UK’s building stock, helping homeowners keep the heat in their home, lower their energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint.
While we keep innovating and improving the thermal performance of our products, it is certainly not our only effort in our pursuit of sustainability.
Using recycled materials
We take our responsibility as a manufacturer seriously by using as much recycled materials as possible. SuperQuilt Lite, with its core of recycled plastic polyester wadding, contains up to 84% of recycled content, as does ThermaQuilt. SuperQuilt and BreatherQuilt are at 83% and 72% recycled content respectively. For our packaging we even use 100% recycled and recyclable materials.
Eco-friendly installation
Most insulation materials are still installed using adhesives. Yet glues are an enormous impediment to creating circular buildings, where each construction element should be easy to dismantle and reuse. To make our insulation 100% reusable, we have designed our products for easy installation. You simply roll them across the rafters or joists and staple them into place (with an overlap that is sealed with tape to avoid cold barriers). So, there is no need for glue.
Zero landfill and locally made
We also strive for continuous improvements to our supply chain, manufacturing operations and transport network to minimise our impact on the environment. But despite having a very efficient manufacturing process in place, zero waste is impossible for companies in our industry to achieve. The waste generated at our production plant gets sent to our trusted partners for recycling or refuse-derived fuel, which means that none of our production waste goes to landfill.
Moreover, YBS is a proud member of the Made in Britain network, which unites the UK manufacturing community with the use of the registered collective marks. The fact that we manufacture all our products in the United Kingdom not only means that we support the local economy and employment, but also that we minimise the energy expenditure and emissions associated with transport.
Sustainable vehicles
Finally, our company cars are all hybrid, and we use electric forklift trucks in our day-to-day warehouse operations.
Eco-friendly insulation: a work in progress
YBS will keep you updated on our efforts to reduce our environmental impact. Should you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact a member of our team. Conversely, you can browse our offer of eco-friendly insulation products to find the perfect match for your DIY or construction project.
