The Art of Paper Insulation

The “Company Profile” is an Earth911.com series highlighting consumer goods and services making a difference through product stewardship and recycling. Products and services featured do not pay for placement and are not endorsed by Earth911.com.

Many of us throw our paper into the ubiquitous blue bins and wonder where it will ultimately end up. Some of this paper may actually help to keep you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. GreenFiber, which manufactures one of the key ingredients in an eco-friendly building project, natural fiber insulation, makes its product from 85 percent post-consumer recycled paper.

Insulation is an indispensable way to save energy and money by minimizing cooling and heating needs. In order to learn more about GreenFiber products, we spoke with GreenFiber’s Director of Marketing, Harold Pinkston.

Natural Fiber Insulation

GreenFiber has been making natural cellulose insulation for attics, walls, floors and multi-family units since 2000. The insulation is made from a composite of recycled recycle paper products using Earth911). It is fire and fungal resistant and does not contain harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde or asbestos.

GreenFiber can be used for building, renovation and re-insulation projects. In addition to being more environmentally friendly than conventional fiberglass insulation, it is also denser and good for both sound reduction and increased airflow.

Less in the Landfill

Since its inception, GreenFiber has used three million tons of paper to manufacture its insulation, and has pledged not to use any virgin paper materials. This use of recycled materials has also prevented an estimated 3.6 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the atmosphere, and GreenFiber products take 10 times less energy to produce than other insulation products.

What Does Green Really Mean?

Is it possible to remodel or build green? There has been a trend towards building green in the past several years, and it is often difficult for consumers to discern the most environmentally friendly options for their construction or remodeling projects. Two of the most important factors to look for are:

• What types of chemicals are used in the manufacturing process?
• How much post-consumer recycled content does each type of building supply contain?

Bringing the Community Into the Loop

Being that GreenFiber’s main material depends on the public recycling paper, its Community Recycling Program seeks to not only reclaim and reuse paper, but also to educate consumers about why it is so important to divert paper from the landfills. The company’s programs supply and maintain recycling bins in locations around the country. “We don’t cut down any trees, and we are always looking for ways to recycle more paper,” says Pinkston.

Green Growth Continues

GreenFiber already has 11 plants around the country, and plans to expand both its community paper recycling programs and manufacturing capabilities. The goal is to continue to improve products while at the same time encouraging consumers to see green building as a choice rather than as an alternative.

Favorite of the Three R’s

Pinkston believes in doing more with less and embracing the many benefits of recycling. He hopes the shift continues towards reduction and recycling. According to Pinkston, “Sustainability is the mainstay of our product, and if we can get our culture around recycling, we can reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and the use of non-renewable resources.”