Cellulose Insulation offers more green advantages, in addition to its many superior insulating characteristics, than virtually any other insulation product.
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Renewable Natural Resource
Cellulose insulation is made from a renewable natural resource that diverts wastepaper from landfills preventing the release of harmful gases if that paper were left to decompose.
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Highest Recycled Content
Cellulose has the highest level of post-consumer recycled content in the industry - up to 82% recycled newspaper in Fiberlite products. Paper is the largest component of landfills and producing cellulose insulation diverts waste from the landfills thus saving valuable space. If all the paper currently being put into landfills was converted to cellulose insulation, it would save approximately 7,030,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year. That is the equivalent of taking all the cars off the road in New Mexico and Nevada each and every year.1
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Lowest Embodied Energy
Cellulose takes less energy to make than any other insulation material. This is often referred to as "Embodied Energy" and calculates the total energy required to transport raw materials, manufacture and distribute the product. Fiberglass has up to 10 times more embodied energy than cellulose and foam products have even more--up to 64 times.2
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Helps Reduce Greenhouse Gases
Cellulose insulation prevents the release of greenhouse gases (methane) as newspaper used in its production would otherwise decompose in landfills.
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Locally Produced
Cellulose insulation can be locally produced. Using local recycling programs and independent recyclers and servicing communities close to home brings new meaning to the old slogan "Think Globally, Act Locally."
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Natural Carbon Sequestration
Paper comes from trees which are the single biggest place were carbon is sequestered on the planet. As wood and paper made from trees decay carbon is released into the atmosphere. When homes and buildings are insulated with cellulose insulation the carbon in its raw material (paper) is trapped for the life of the structure.
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Onsite Product Recovery
Cellulose insulation is safe to install, easy to handle and simple to recover onsite. In most cases, with proper job management by professional insulation contractors, virtually all the excess cellulose insulation from an installation project can be recovered and used right on site leaving almost no wasted material.
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(Sources: National Auto Dealers Association; Paper Industry Assoc. Council 2006; EPA)
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"Life Cycle Analysis of a Residential Home in Michigan" S. Blanchard & P. Reppe (Sept. 1998); Canadian Architect Measures of Sustainability
