Starting from the beginning of next year, building owners and contractors must ensure that foam insulation removed during renovation and demolition work is handled in a way that allows for the recovery of ODS substances and F-gases contained within them.
© Annika Johansson
Starting from the beginning of next year, EU regulations on fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) and ozone-depleting substances (ODS) will require the proper handling of certain foam insulation materials. Building owners and contractors must guarantee that foam-insulated sandwich panels and laminated boards containing ODS and F-gases, which are removed during renovation or demolition, are managed in a way that facilitates the recovery of these gases. If the removal of laminated boards is technically not possible, this must be documented in a report, which must be presented to authorities upon request.
To prevent emissions, the insulation material must remain as intact as possible and should be collected separately. The insulation materials must be delivered to a facility with an environmental permit for either gas recovery for disposal or for the disposal of insulation boards, such as in a combustion process.
Which building insulation materials does the aforementioned obligation apply to?
The aforementioned obligations apply to foam-insulated sandwich panels and laminated boards that contain ODS or F-gases.
- Foaminsulated sandwich panels are made of layers containing rigid polyurethane foam and a rigid surface material, such as steel or aluminum sheet, wood, wood fiberboard, or gypsum board, which are attached to one or both sides. These panels are used in cold and freeze storage for industries and stores, as well as in industrial buildings, single-family homes, and doors.
- Laminated boards are foam insulation materials that are coated with a thin layer of flexible materials such as plastic, paper, or aluminum laminate. They are used, for example, as roof insulation in industrial and storage buildings, as well as insulation in saunas.
What does this mean in practice?
Foam-insulated sandwich panels or laminated insulation materials manufactured before 1996 can be assumed to contain ODS (except for EPS insulation).
"Since it is not possible to visually determine whether an insulation material contains ODS, all the aforementioned insulation materials should be collected separately, if possible, and treated as hazardous waste," clarifies Miniterial Adviser Eeva Nurmi from the Ministry of the Environment.
If the building was built after 1996, foam-insulated sandwich panels or laminated boards probably do not contain F-gases or ODS substances. However, if the insulation materials are known to contain these gases, they must be collected separately for gas recovery and disposal.
"The regulations do not prevent the reuse of intact insulation boards or products containing insulation, such as doors, in another destination," says Specialist Annika Johansson from the Finnish Environment Institute.
What kind of environmental impacts do the gases in insulation foams have?
ODS- substances were used in insulation materials in Finland from 1960 to 1994. F-gases have been used only in small quantities since 1994. Most producers use hydrocarbons or carbon dioxide as blowing agents. In 2020, only small amounts of HFC-365mfc and HFC-245fa were used in production.
Large quantities of these gases are stored in insulation materials. According to the 2020 estimate, foam insulation in buildings contains approximately 7,000 tons of ODS substances, which is equivalent to about 32,000 kt of CO2 greenhouse gas emissions if not disposed of properly. The gas storage of foam materials containing F-gases in 2020 is estimated to be around 650 kt of CO2 equivalent. This figure also includes foam materials not related to construction.
Futher information
Specialist Annika Johansson, Finnish Environment Institute, f-gas@syke.fi
Ministerial Adviser Eeva Nurmi, Ministry of the Environment, firstname.lastname@gov.fi
Read more
F-gases and ozone-depleting substances (ymparisto.fi)
Regulation (EU) 2024/573 of the european parliament and of the council of 7 February 2024 on fluorinated greenhouse gases, amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 (F-gas Regulation)
Regulation (EU) 2024/590 of the european parliament and of the council of 7 February 2024 on substances that deplete the ozone layer, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1005/2009 (ODS Regulation)
Forsberg et al. 2024. Banks of fluorinated greenhouse gases and ozone depleting substances: Size of banks, emissions, and regulation in Finland and on a global level