The international company Kingspan, based in Ireland, has been accused of falsely marketing its insulation intended for use in high-rises, such as London’s Grenfell Tower, according to a report released on Wednesday regarding the 2017 fire in which 72 people lost their lives. The extensive report, almost 1,700 pages in length and penned by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, suggested that misinformation about Kingspan’s Kooltherm K15 plastic foam insulation board was knowingly generated by the company.
The report delved into how the Grenfell Tower disaster was a result of systemic failure. It pointed fingers at local council officials, fire safety experts, building materials corporations, the government, and contractors. Kingspan’s K15 product was implicated for about 5% of the tower’s facade during its refurbishment which finished in 2016, without the company having knowledge.
The insulation was fitted behind aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding panels designed by Arconic, an American metal company division. The panels formed the exterior layer of the facade system. The K15 product was advertised for indiscriminate use on high-rises, although it should have only been utilised within system for which it was tested and approved, having passed a fire safety test in 2005 when installed behind non-combustible cladding.
Kingspan and Celotex, a UK-based competitor, were criticised in the report for making misleading claims about their insulation boards’ functionality. The inquiry also noted that despite inadequate fire performance during tests in 2007 and 2008 of a revised version of K15, Kingspan refrained from recalling the product from the market, in spite of their own doubts related to the product’s fire resistance.
Since 2005, Kingspan, under CEO Gene Murtagh, has consistently pointed fingers at Arconic’s ACM cladding for the speed and scale of the Grenfell fire. Kingspan has recognised unacceptable shortcomings in their UK insulation division in a 181-word response to the report’s release.
In a solemn statement, the group expressed their deep regrets for their actions, stressing that they did not embody their true principles, either then or now, and extended their heartfelt condolences to those who had suffered. As a preliminary measure towards preventing companies named in the report from receiving government contracts, United Kingdom’s prime minister, Keir Starmer announced that his administration would be making advancements to contact them.
The momentum to expedite the legal proceedings against those accountable for the dreadful residential fire of June 2017, the most catastrophic in British domestic history during a time of peace, was mounting amongst the relatives of the 72 victims. This was particularly pushed by the Metropolitan police in London. Starmer, having a background in prosecution, stressed the necessity of not compromising any future legal action. He underlined the significance of ensuring justice for the victims and all affected, terming any inability to deliver this justice as the most egregious injustice.
Earlier in the year, Ulster Rugby declared their decision to terminate their sponsorship arrangement with Kingspan by the mid of 2025, following a thorough review spurred by the enquiry. The spokesperson for Cavan GAA, a group patronised by the organisation for nearly three decades, refrained from making remarks regarding the future of their contractual agreement. Meanwhile, attempts to secure a comment from Kingspan-sponsored golfer Shane Lowry’s representatives received no response.