Foam insulation used in homes has traditionally contained petrochemicals. But lignin offers a more sustainable alternative and has the potential to replace 20 to 25 percent of the petroleum products in these materials. Enerlab, a Quebec-based company, has been a leader in this emerging industry. 

Enerlab’s insulation replaces petroleum components with renewable wood by-products from the forestry industry, offering significant environmental benefits as well as performance advantages. However, breaking into the Canadian market has been challenging for Enerlab because their products were not yet included in the National Building Code. 

To address this, SCC worked with Enerlab to develop a Canadian Construction Materials Centre (CCMC) normative technical guide. This guide includes the technical criteria and test methods to evaluate a product as an acceptable or alternative solution in compliance with the National Building Code. 

By meeting the requirements laid out in the technical guide, Enerlab can now obtain certification to validate that their products meet Canadian building code requirements—helping the company to gain market acceptance.