Award for innovative insulation materials made from hemp

Ober-Ramstadt, 8th December 2014 (DAW) - Naporo Klima Dämmstoff GmbH from Austria which belongs to Hesse's building paints and insulation systems manufacturer, DAW SE, was presented with the German STEP Award 2014 in the "Sustainability" category. The presentation took place on 3rd December 2014 within the scope of a celebratory gala in the Höchst Industrial Park in Frankfurt am Main. Naporo GmbH from the Upper Austrian town of Perg developed the first certified and technically mature hemp insulation for facades. The innovative and sustainable insulation material won the Austrian awards "Eco Label" and "Climate Protection Prize" back in 2013. "We regard hemp as a renewable raw material for insulation offering a forward-looking sustainable solution," said Naporo COO, Frank Reiche, during the award presentation. The hemp fibre insulation board can be used just like EPS products (expanded polystyrene). Roofs, walls and, amazingly, whole facades can be insulated with it. In contrast to current insulation materials, with the Naporo product more CO₂ can be bound in the material than is released during its manufacture. The hemp fibre boards can be recycled to form new insulation boards or used as a raw material to obtain biogas. The award provides confirmation that insulation with hemp is not only ecologically extremely practicable, rather it is forward-looking in the ecological insulation material sector due to its very good insulation values. "Hemp is a renewable raw material. It is very resilient and has good resistance to attack from pests. It does not need fertilizer and insecticides and binds enormous amounts of CO₂," explains Caparol Director, Guido Kuphal. Hemp grows very quickly, seven centimetres per day, flourishes on almost any soil and can be completely recycled. Apart from nutrition and medicines, the plant also supplies extremely tear-resistant fibres which also makes hemp the ideal raw material for house construction. There are already other fields of use; the boards can be used in offices, schools and kindergartens for acoustic insulation. From 2015 DAW will take over the trade in hemp fibre insulation boards in Germany and Europe via its sales company, Caparol. The company publicly presented the ecological insulation alternative for the first time at the Munich exhibition "BAU 2015" in January. Press release