Analysis of the State of Insulation Materials in the Swiss Building Stock

With regard to energy and resource policy, we must ask ourselves how we will deal with insulating materials in the future. The question arises in particular when buildings are being dismantled, when parts of buildings are being rebuilt or when they are being renovated. At the moment, there are hardly any studies on the amount of insulating materials produced, in which combinations they occur and how they are to be recycled.

Buildings in Switzerland usually stand for a long time, which is why relatively small amounts of insulation material from demolition and renovation are produced today. However, we must expect volumes to rise sharply in the medium to long term. In order to cope with these challenges in the future, new strategies are needed for the decommissioning and disposal of this material waste. The focus must be on returning this material to the production cycle.

In our preliminary study, we conducted a relevance analysis to determine the actual situation of the insulation materials in the Swiss building stock. We quantified the quantity structure of the insulation materials currently produced and analysed the capacities and possibilities of recycling and disposal. In addition, we assessed possible process risks in dismantling, recycling and disposal, and identified problematic material flows.

The relevance of this topic is shown by the article on the study in the building technology magazine HK Gebäudetechnik "Gebrauchte Dämmstoffe beschäftigen uns in Zukunft".