Fletcher Insulation the first in sustainability

Australia's first insulation products to achieve GECA (Good Environmental Choice Australia) certification.

Architects and builders can now respond to spiraling market demand for sustainable construction systems with certainty, as Fletcher Insulation asserts its leadership. The Company has become the first Australian glasswool insulation manufacturer to be awarded the rigorous Good Environmental Choice Australia certification (GECA) and the much sort after Gold-mark label for its products issued by the Australia Building Codes Board. The Company has also recently achieved the Global-mark certification for its products that conform to AS/NZS 4859.2002.

PK Mohan, Fletcher Insulation's National Category Manager said, "The building industry now has available accredited insulation products that comply with the strictest environmental and building standards in Australia, both in performance and life cycle analysis. Fletcher Insulation is the only company to offer this level of certainty. Fletcher Insulation now delivers considerable advantage through its wide range of products that suit a variety of building energy efficiency requirements. Using Fletcher Insulation products, even 7 Star building energy efficiency can be achieved at very low cost," Mr Mohan said.

The GECA certification applies to the Fletcher Insulation product range and manufacturing processes now in place in Australia's largest glasswool insulation manufacturing facility in Dandenong, Victoria and the Rooty Hill plant in NSW. It includes license to use the highly respected Eco-label for the full range of Fletcher Insulation Pink Batts, Pink Batts Silencer, Pink Sonobatts, and Insulco Fat Batts & Acousti-Therm.

Outstanding manufacturing processes at the plants include:

• More that 70 per cent recycled glass in the glass wool insulation manufactured.
• In-house development of the company's advanced INTECH glass melters which are now being exported all over the world for their superior energy efficiency and performance.
• Significant energy savings in the order of a 25 percent reduction in energy use.
• Extensive water savings and efficiency measures with on-site rainfall harvesting and the recycling of process water used in production.
• Considerable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions of around 20 percent and well below EPA licensing requirements.
• Reduced particle emissions of around 50 percent.

For consumers the benefits include:

• Ongoing savings in greenhouse gas, energy savings and cost savings of between $89 and $336 pa from retrofitting Fletcher Insulation into an average Australian home.
• Fletcher products will pay for themselves on average, 12 times over through the energy cost saving during the 70 to 80 year life of the building.

The GECA Certification is part of Fletcher Insulation's ongoing investment in improved environmental, economic and social sustainability. The GECA certification makes use of the ISO 14 000 series and is recognised internationally as the highest standard of green product and process certification in Australia.

Mr Mohan said, "Fletcher Insulation's wide range of sustainable thermal and acoustic insulation can suit all requirements for walls, ceilings and floors with a range of Rvalues which comply with AS/NZS 4859.1."

"Australian's that install Fletcher Insulation products, are installing the most sustainable products on the market today that deliver the benefits they expect for the environment and building occupants over the entire life of the building."