Atlanta, Georgia (2/7/2002) --- Johns Manville has announced that it will begin manufacturing an entirely formaldehyde-free line of fiber glass building insulation for residential and commercial use. All Johns Manville building insulation will be manufactured with a unique new binder that removes Johns Manville insulation as a potential source of formaldehyde in the indoor air environment and eliminates formaldehyde emissions during manufacturing. The announcement was made at a pre-trade show press conference on February 7, 2002 in advance of the National Association of Homebuilders’ International Builders Show in Atlanta.
Johns Manville plans to transition all building insulation manufacturing facilities to the full production of formaldehyde-free fiber glass insulation by August 2002. Formaldehyde-based resins have traditionally been used as a binder (glue) in all fiber glass insulation products. The new Johns Manville Formaldehyde-free line will utilize a technologically advanced acrylic resin as its binding agent.
“At Johns Manville, we have a history of pioneering innovation in insulation,” said Michael Kane, senior vice president of the Insulation Group at Johns Manville. “ Our formaldehyde-free insulation continues a long tradition of providing superior energy efficiency, while responding to the consumer and building industry preferences for smarter, more innovative products.”
Recently, building materials containing formaldehyde, even those with low concentrations like fiber glass, have become part of discussions on indoor environment quality. Johns Manville Formaldehyde-free fiber glass insulation eliminates concern over fiber glass insulation as a potential source of formaldehyde while maintaining the highest quality energy-efficient thermal and acoustical properties. While there is no real formaldehyde problem with traditional fiber glass insulation, this step eliminates any lingering concern customers may have.
Shipment of the new Johns Manville Formaldehyde-free line will begin in March 2002, with all building insulation manufacturing facilities to be converted to formaldehydefree binder production by August 2002. The new line of fiber glass will be naturally white in color.
Johns Manville has partnered with industry leader Rohm and Haas to develop the new formaldehyde-free acrylic binder. The new material is a specially formulated version of Rohm and Haas’ Acrylic Thermoset technology developed for Johns Manville. It binds fiber glass together, providing the strength, durability and resiliency required by the insulation industry, yet does not emit formaldehyde either during manufacturing, or after installation.
Originally offered as an option for commercial use several years ago, Johns Manville Formaldehyde-free insulation can now be mass produced and has prompted the planned full conversion of all Johns Manville fiber glass building insulation for residential or commercial use. All Johns Manville signature products including polyencapsulated ComfortTherm® and perforated EasyFit™ will now be available in naturally white, formaldehyde-free form.
In addition to eliminating formaldehyde as a concern, Johns Manville Formaldehydefree fiber glass insulation is environmentally smart, containing a minimum of 25 percent recycled glass. It also eliminates formaldehyde emissions during manufacturing, without the extensive pollution abatement equipment so common on production lines using traditional binder.
Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company (NYSE: BRKa), is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building and specialty products. In business since 1858, the Denver-based company has sales in excess of $2 billion and holds leadership positions in all of the key markets that it serves. Johns Manville employs approximately 9,500 people and operates 52 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China. Additional information can be found at www.jm.com.
