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Acoustic impact

Acoustics

The conversation around healthier buildings often focuses on light and air quality. But noise levels also significantly impact health and wellbeing. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated its Environmental Noise Guidelines for the first time since 1999, stressing that noise has negative impacts on human health and is becoming a growing concern.

A recent survey on hospital acoustics found that 60 percent of patients surveyed complained of sleep disturbance due to noise. A research team in France found that for every 10-dB increase in noise pollution, 8- to 9-year-old students performed 5.5 points lower on their national standardised test. More significantly, approximately 16 600 cases of premature death from noise exposure occur each year in Europe and the annual cost of European noise pollution is estimated to be EUR 40 billion.

Man installing insulation, Self-builder, Renovation, Timber Frame Wall
ROCKWOOL's acoustic impact

Impact of Rockfon acoustic products on overall learning, performance,
privacy, health and well-being.

Methodology statement
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Impact is easy

But research shows improving indoor environmental quality results in substantial wellbeing benefits, including enhanced learning abilities for school children, better productivity in office workers and better recovery for patients.

For example, just improving acoustics in open-plan offices can increase concentration levels by 48 percent, decrease stress levels by 27 percent and reduce error rates by 10 percent. There is up to a 12 percent increase in employee productivity at a typical office, which on a European scale, could be worth up to EUR 500 billion annually.

That’s why ROCKWOOL supports including health and wellbeing benefits as criteria in how we evaluate, renovate and develop buildings – especially our homes, schools, offices and hospitals.

Measuring our product impacts

20200525 GR PHO 5193
Sustainability

Sustainable growing

The global food production system is under pressure, and the need to find more sustainable ways of feeding a growing and more urbanised population is becoming urgent. Our Grodan hydroponic products address this concern and enable food production in urban settings using fewer natural resources.

20171230 GMC PHO 274
Sustainability

A net carbon negative impact

Through our insulation products we have truly significant positive impact on climate change.

20170315 GMC PHO 797
Sustainability

Our socioeconomic impact

We developed a new methodology to monitor the jobs and the economic value that we create directly or indirectly; and the socio-economic value of the energy our products save.

Michael Zarin, Vice President, Group Communications

Michael Zarin

Vice President, Group Communications, Denmark
ROCKWOOL Group

+45 40 84 15 26

sustainability@rockwool.com

ROCKWOOL Group