Does French mineral wool industry ‘insulation-gate’ show the EU needs to fight green washing?

Strengthening consumer protection against allegedly false green claims by industries is among the key objectives of the new Circular Economy Action Plan, which the European Commission adopted in March.

Similarly, the recently adopted French Circular Economy Law puts the emphasis on making companies accountable for the environmental quality and the durability of their products, including in the construction sector.

A recent judgment provides a striking example of how a dispute between competing industries can reveal misleading claims, in a case that observers have likened to Volkswagen’s Dieselgate.

The case began back in 1999, when FILMM, the French Federation of Manufacturers of Mineral Wool Insulating Materials, which represents companies like Knauf and Rockwool, filed a complaint against Actis Isolation. FILMM accused Actis of violating unfair competition rules by using misleading comparative advertising.

Actis had stated that its product, a thin multi-layer reflective insulation, was equivalent, or better performing than mineral wool insulation.

However, at the end of last year, the highest civil court of France rejected FILMM’s claim.

The ruling, according to reports, reveals that the actual insulating properties of the mineral wool products at issue were far worse, up to 75%, than claimed by mineral wool producers at the beginning of the proceedings.

Under “normal conditions of use” by consumers at the time, the thermal performance of mineral wool appeared to be greatly altered in comparison to the conditions in a laboratory, due to insufficient air tightness. The court found a “lack of rigor” in the way the studies of mineral wool had been conducted. Furthermore, it stated that documents seized during an investigation of the French Competition Authority showed that FILMM was aware of this and reportedly eared that it could be revealed.

Reacting to the court’s decision, former French MP Jean Yves Le Déaut, who is also the former vice president of the French Parliamentary Office for the Assessment of Scientific and Technological Choices, said: “We are in the presence of an 'isolgate' if we compare this situation to the case of diesel car engines, where, obviously like in the current case, performance levels have been calculated theoretically to hide the reality.”

He questioned the billions of euros in public financial support for products whose actual performance is said to be below what the industry argues – as the court found in the case of mineral wool. Multiple commentators have argued this problem continues today, even in light of efforts in the sector to promote sustainable buildings.

Insulation expert Claude Lefrançois accused mineral wool companies of having been involved in “greenwashing operations”. In fact, he argued, mineral wool “quickly loses parts of its performance, due to the real operating conditions which are completely different from the laboratory evaluation conditions”.

“Presenting it as a contributor to the fight against climate change that supports the reduction of CO2 emissions is quite a false statement”, he added.

According to him glass wool is “an OK insulating product similar to many others, not better, sometimes even worse; nevertheless, for those who care about ecology, and ultimately recycling, opting for this product is not a winning bet, far from it.”

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