Green Facts
- Cellulose takes less energy to make than any other insulation material. This is known as embodied energy and includes 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 up to 64 times.2
- Cellulose has the highest level of recycled content in the insulation industry - up to 85%. Cellulose insulation is made with recycled paper, paper that might otherwise end up in a landfill. Fiberglass has a maximum of 40% recycled content and foam products little or none.
- Cellulose insulation, by utilizing recycled paper, helps prevent the release of the greenhouse gas methane which would result if that same paper were sent to a landfill to decompose.
- Cellulose insulation scrap is recovered and recycled on-site. Fiberglass and foam residue go to a landfill, and don’t decompose.
- Cellulose insulation is regionally produced. Using local recycling programs and independent recyclers, and servicing communities close to home, brings new meaning to the slogan “Think Globally, Act Locally.”
2 “Life Cycle Analysis of a Residential Home in Michigan” S. Blanchard & P. Reppe (Sept. 1998); Canadian Architect Measures of Sustainability