MEDULLA Regenerative Insulation
Buildings have high carbon footprints. This is due to not only to operational emissions over their lifetimes, but also to the high embodied carbon of the materials used to build them. Decarbonizing building materials is a necessary step to achieve Canada’s 2050 Net Zero Carbon Goal.
Building insulation, while essential to reducing operational energy, is nevertheless a big embodied carbon culprit. The most common materials used today — Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), Extruded Polystyrene (XPS), Fibre Glass and Rock Wool — all have enormous carbon footprints.
Blown-in cellulose insulation is gaining popularity in green buildings because it sequesters carbon. However, cellulose is not without its own problems: while it is highly biodegradable, it is vulnerable to moisture and mould and is highly flammable, which means it requires the addition of chemicals and flame retardants to be safe. Although it began as a recycled product, the digital transition has eliminated multiple sources of clean recycled paper so cellulose manufacturers are increasingly turning to virgin paper. We are literally chipping up standing forest to turn into insulation. Surely we can do better! Humanity can simply not afford to perpetuate business models that compromise the survival of an organism we are an integral part of: our planet.
ENGINEERED BY NATURE
Our product is made from 100% recycled material and its commercialization has the potential to sequester hundreds metric tons of carbon and to divert hundreds of metric tons of waste away from the landfill. Our insulation sequesters 9% more carbon by weight than cellulose; unlike other natural insulators, it requires neither grazing acreage nor arable land or water to be produced. It is made from a rapidly renewable resource that grows worldwide so it doesn’t have to be shipped far distances to get to market further reducing the environmental impacts of transportation. MEDULLA Regenerative Insulation has the potential to contribute up to 17 LEED Credits.
It is safe, natural, non toxic and hypoallergenic. Its self-extinguishing properties eliminate the need for the Halogenated Fire Retardants common in other insulation products, which scientific studies have shown to be bio-accumulative and have negative health impacts in the human body.
Nature has engineered the perfect insulator and its thermal comfort is enjoyed worldwide. This high quality fibre manages moisture, is highly resilient and durable, and does not support the growth of mold. It is biodegradable but only under specific conditions; tree enzymes are necessary to complete the process which makes our product one of the most durable and resilient in its class.
While our insulation is cruelty free, sustainable and innovative, we can’t say that is it vegan.
So how and where do we produce this wonder fibre?