Playing its part in resource efficiency: how insulation is helping towards waste reduction.
With smart reuse, recycling, and circular economy strategies, the industry is pushing towards a future where construction products contribute to both building performance and a more sustainable approach.
Isover and its partner brand British Gypsum are already putting many of these ideas into action from reusable pallets and packaging with recycled content, to plasterboard reclamation and using recycled gypsum to reduce use of virgin materials. Let’s take a look at these developments in more detail and how we can all play our part.
Recycling glass and reducing internal waste
Our Isover glass wool products manufactured in the UK contain recycled glass. This is a combination of 52% externally sourced recycled glass and 30% internally sourced glass cullet.
Added to this, Isover is taking sustainable steps forward with the recyclability of its packaging. In 2025, they launched a new packaging design that uses 30% post‑consumer recycled content, plus the ink usage is now just 15% of the total with a change to white base foil, which also improves recyclability. The aim is to make it easier for installers, merchants and end-users to recycle the coverings , films and carton materials.
In addition, Isover’s UK manufacturing plant is certified to environmental and energy management standards (ISO 14001, ISO 50001).
The Pallet LOOP creates reusable pallets for a circular supply chain
One of the more visible ways Isover is pushing waste reduction is through The Pallet LOOP, a circular economy pallet scheme. In 2024, Isover became the first insulation manufacturer in the UK to partner with The Pallet LOOP, switching from disposable single‑use pallets to green timber pallets that can be collected and reused. By taking part in this initiative, Isover is helping to reduce the waste of discarded pallets in construction.
Here’s how the process works. Insulation products made in the UK are shipped on LOOP pallets. When a merchant, distributor or contractor has emptied the pallet, they can request a collection by The Pallet LOOP. The pallets are then returned, repaired if needed, and reused. To encourage companies to take part, there’s a payback scheme that offers up to £4 for each returned pallet, or £2 if a repair is needed.
Why resource efficiency really matters
By embedding practices like reuse and recycling into the life cycle of insulation and construction materials in general, it can make a real-world difference, leading to:
- Less waste across production, packaging, delivery and installation
- Disposable items become repeat-use assets
- Reduced need for new raw materials