http://www.bobvila.com/blogs/denim-insulation/ The Dean of Home Renovation & Repair Advice Tue, 28 May 2013 06:27:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.bobvila.com/blogs/denim-insulation/#comment-570258 Bruce Ray - Johns Manville Tue, 21 May 2013 00:58:00 +0000 http://www.bobvila.com/blogs/?p=26689#comment-570258 Please consider the following comments on your post because there seems to be some misperceptions about denim insulation. Full disclosure: I am with Johns Manville, maker of fiber glass home insulation and Bonded Logic competitor. - Eco-friendly. Under its revised Green Guides, the Federal Trade Commission considers phrases such as this and “environmentally friendly” to be misleading per se. - Use of blue jeans for insulation. If old blue jeans are still wearable, they should be donated to the Goodwill or similar charity where the jeans can be re-used, likely by someone who cannot afford a new pair. Using wearable jeans for insulation does not divert the denim material from the landfill. And using wearable jeans for insulation is an example of “down-cycling,” i.e., using materials in a way that does not achieve their highest and best use; it is, in effect, a waste of resources. Also, if the jeans are wearable, they should not be considered post-consumer and from a lifecycle impact standpoint denim insulation should be effectively burdened by at least a portion of the environmental and other impacts from original denim manufacture. Think of it this way – destroying wearable jeans to make insulation is like taking a drivable car and removing the seats to make cool but expensive furniture. It is a waste of resources. - VOCs and indoor air quality. Johns Manville fiber glass insulation is formaldehyde-free, does not emit VOCs and helps improve indoor air quality. - Denim is not a “natural fiber.” Cotton can be a natural fiber but the heavy chemical processing to make denim essentially disqualifies it as natural. - Fire retardant chemicals. Denim insulation is typically 15% by weight added fire retardant chemicals, since denim is combustible and unsuitable for use as insulation unless treated. The borates used as fire retardants cannot be considered non-toxic under the new Federal Trade Commission Green Guides because MSDS for borates typically contain language describing both the potential environmental and health hazards. In contrast, fiber glass insulation is inert and non-combustible and does not need added fire retardant chemicals to meet fire safety requirements. - Acoustic performance. I have yet to see any data to support the 30 percent better claim. - Ease of installation. The batt perforation technique used by Bonded Logic was developed by Johns Manville. Thank you. Bruce Ray Please consider the following comments on your post because there seems to be some misperceptions about denim insulation. Full disclosure: I am with Johns Manville, maker of fiber glass home insulation and Bonded Logic competitor.
- Eco-friendly. Under its revised Green Guides, the Federal Trade Commission considers phrases such as this and “environmentally friendly” to be misleading per se.
- Use of blue jeans for insulation. If old blue jeans are still wearable, they should be donated to the Goodwill or similar charity where the jeans can be re-used, likely by someone who cannot afford a new pair. Using wearable jeans for insulation does not divert the denim material from the landfill. And using wearable jeans for insulation is an example of “down-cycling,” i.e., using materials in a way that does not achieve their highest and best use; it is, in effect, a waste of resources. Also, if the jeans are wearable, they should not be considered post-consumer and from a lifecycle impact standpoint denim insulation should be effectively burdened by at least a portion of the environmental and other impacts from original denim manufacture. Think of it this way – destroying wearable jeans to make insulation is like taking a drivable car and removing the seats to make cool but expensive furniture. It is a waste of resources.
- VOCs and indoor air quality. Johns Manville fiber glass insulation is formaldehyde-free, does not emit VOCs and helps improve indoor air quality.
- Denim is not a “natural fiber.” Cotton can be a natural fiber but the heavy chemical processing to make denim essentially disqualifies it as natural.
- Fire retardant chemicals. Denim insulation is typically 15% by weight added fire retardant chemicals, since denim is combustible and unsuitable for use as insulation unless treated. The borates used as fire retardants cannot be considered non-toxic under the new Federal Trade Commission Green Guides because MSDS for borates typically contain language describing both the potential environmental and health hazards. In contrast, fiber glass insulation is inert and non-combustible and does not need added fire retardant chemicals to meet fire safety requirements.
- Acoustic performance. I have yet to see any data to support the 30 percent better claim.
- Ease of installation. The batt perforation technique used by Bonded Logic was developed by Johns Manville.
Thank you.
Bruce Ray

]]>