Does glass wool production consume a lot of energy?
The only standardised indicator is total primary energy taking into account the whole product lifecycle from the extraction of raw materials making up the material to its end of life (demolition). Energy consumed to make glass wool is mainly used to melt the sand and cullet, then cooking the binder in a steam oven. The use of recycled glass reduces the consumption of energy on fusion. The life cycle analysis of glass wool compared, for example, with that of hemp wool (to choose a product sold by Isover) shows that the former consumes less energy than the second. The results of this lifecycle analysis show that the impact of polyester fibre is very important. The environmental impact of hemp is degraded after the addition of products needed to grow hemp and the transportation of straw to the insulation production site. The argument promoting the C02 stored during growth of the plant should be put into context. This C02 is actually returned to the atmosphere at the end of the plant’s lif
