@ScottFarbman
Scott I would like to express solidarity with your irked experience. There is so much to evaluate and balance in the construction industry field, that we rely too often on rules of thumb and general frameworks. But we have so little time to solve the climate crisis, and things are changing so fast, that we really need to question everything, check, and then check again! We must lower GHG emissions right now in all aspects of life that we have any influence over. Yet, there are other angles to look at regarding material choices in this regard, that you are most likely already thinking of and that I have been grappling with, so I hope you don’t mind me putting some pen to paper here.
One can see these material choices as part of a larger way to influence the market. As you said some foam plastic insulation products are showing lower GWP numbers from their EPDs than other products. But they are made from a material source that is desperately trying to find ways to keep fracking and drilling. They see the writing on the wall, in terms of energy and transportation. Plastics are the fossil fuel industry’s plan B. I see material selection not only as a calculation of immediate GHG impact, but a ways to promote growth of a material industry source in general.
Now, if we can really make products from fossil fuels in a GHG net zero, pollution free way - I would really like to hear that. But, right now its far too polluting to come even close, and the industry as a whole is not even trying. So, I am working to find ways to eliminate it from every application where it is not necessary, and where it cannot be replaced with other options that have clearer paths to de-carbonize. This will naturally drive investment away from fossil fuels, so that one day (hopefully soon) its price actually reflects its benefit/costs to humanity. From how pervasive and useful plastic products are, it seems that there will always been some functions that are really best met from this material. I hope that the efforts of some pioneering green chemists such as Pete Myers find ways to make it less toxic.
Also, to be honest I don’t fully trust those lower GHG numbers for plastic products. Perhaps I need to dive deeper into some EPS EPD’s. But just like product category rules for wood has historically not accounted for forestry practices, PCRs for plastics may be missing significant emissions, such as leaks from natural gas fracking and piping has finally been understood to release far more methane than originally reported. Additionally, plastic products including insulation, have a large release in stage D of their EPD’s usually, that represent its breakdown in the environment or incineration. Lastly, plastic insulation contains biocummulative chemicals (even if they have removed previous versions, they are replaced with similar ones that have unstudied consequences and doesn’t necessarily mean they are better.)
Every time I talk to someone from a mineral/stone wool company, I press them as to when they will get to carbon neutrality!
Here are some of my go to resources:
and the one I sent before, it will infuriate you: