The insulation manufacturer found by the Grenfell inquiry to be “dishonest” has claimed the findings do not reflect the company.
In its response to the official publication of the phase 2 report today (4 September), Kingspan said it had “long acknowledged the wholly unacceptable historical failings” in its UK arm.
But its statement also said the actions that led to its K15 insulation product being used on the tower block without its knowledge “were in no way reflective of how we conduct ourselves as a group, then or now”.
It reiterated that K15 “was and remains safe to use” when installed correctly and used in compliance with building regulations.
The Grenfell Inquiry, led by Sir Michael Moore-Bick, found Kingspan’s K15 product was used without its knowledge and only made up 5 per cent of the insulation on the building.
But the report concluded the firm’s marketing had been dishonest as it had created a “spurious” market for polymer-based insulation for use on high-rise buildings.
The report concluded that the development and marketing of K15 for use on buildings over 18 metres in height between 2006 and 2019 was “one of deeply entrenched and persistent dishonesty on the part of Kingspan in pursuit of commercial gain”.
The inquiry added the firm had shown “a complete disregard for fire safety”.
Kingspan’s statement said the actions of its UK division “were not found to be causative of the tragedy”.
It added that since the fire in June 2017, “significant controls and enhancements” had been implemented “at a global scale” by the Irish firm.
The statement said: “We welcome the publication of today’s report which is crucial to a public understanding of what went wrong and why. It explains clearly and unambiguously that the type of insulation (whether combustible or non-combustible) was immaterial, and that the principal reason for the fire spread was the PE ACM cladding, which was not made by Kingspan.”
It added: “Kingspan has long acknowledged the wholly unacceptable historical failings that occurred in part of our UK insulation business. These were in no way reflective of how we conduct ourselves as a group, then or now. While deeply regrettable, they were not found to be causative of the tragedy.”
Among changes made since the blaze, the company said it had now achieved global certification to compliance standard ISO 37301: 2021 for all of its UK manufacturing sites.
The firm added it had also dealt with “shortcomings” about the firm raised during the inquiry.
It said: “Kingspan has already emphatically addressed these issues, including the implementation of extensive and externally-verified measures to ensure our conduct and compliance standards are world leading.
“We remain committed to playing a leading role in providing safe and sustainable building solutions, including continuing to work with government and industry partners.”
Kingspan said it now has a global marketing integrity manual programme, supported by internal training and auditing, to ensure product information is clear, accurate, up-to-date and unambiguous.
It has also introduce new whistleblowing procedures and implemented all recommendations made by law firm Eversheds Sutherland, which reviewed its UK business.
Kingspan re-committed to pay its share of remediation costs “where we have responsibility for the inappropriate use of K15”.
The firm also added: “We extend our deepest sympathies to those impacted by the tragedy.”
Construction News reported last month that Kingspan had settled a court case that would have tested a new law extending the range of legal claims that contractors can make against cladding manufacturers.
