The journey to 50% less plastic use in paroc® insulation lamella packaging

Updated 2025-12-11

The best ideas benefit both the environment and our customers by saving time, money, and effort. That applies to the idea two of our project managers had about reinventing the packaging of paroc® CGL 20cy insulation lamellas. The story behind the project is a great example of the continuous work we do to reduce our environmental footprint.

"Are you with me?”

This was the question project manager Mantas Strazdas from the paroc Vilnius factory asked his Polish colleague Pawel Stempuchowski during a telephone call some six months ago.

Stempuchowski did not have to think twice. Even though the two project managers lived and worked in different countries, Stempuchowski had known Mantas Strazdas for almost 15 years. They had worked together before and Stempuchowski knew that Strazdas shared the same goals and values as him.

"Absolutely”, he replied.

So began the development of the new way of packing paroc CGL 20cy insulation lamellas, leading to a significant reduction in plastic waste.

1. The idea is born

Actually, the project had already begun a couple of years before the phone call.

Two years ago, when Mantas Strazdas and Pawel Stempuchowski visited a construction site in Kraków, Poland, they noticed that workers first unpacked the paroc insulation lamellas from plastic packaging and then placed them back onto the pallet to glued. The workers also had to turn the lamellas around before applying the glue.

"This was not a surprise to us, but as we watched it, we started to think if that really was necessary”, Stempuchowski explains.

They ended up recording a video of the unpacking process and talked with the contractor about the ideas for making it more effective.

"You don’t come up with brilliant ideas by sitting at the office. It is very important to visit the building sites and listen to the customers. We came up with this idea because we visited that site two years ago”, Strazdas says.

The idea of doing something about the issue stayed in the back of their heads, but there were other projects and other developments to deal with first. Until finally, six months ago, it was the right time.

2. The new packaging takes shape

After the phone call, things unfolded quickly. Owens Corning paroc has regular innovation meetings where Strazdas and Stempuchowski gave a presentation about the idea. They showed the video they had taped in Kraków and went through how they could save the customers’ time, effort and money while also reducing the environmental impact.

The idea got a green light.

"The most critical step with any innovation is to convince yourself that the idea is good enough. If you don’t believe in it, customers won’t either”, Stempuchowski says.

Strazdas and Stempuchowski started to check different packing possibilities and gain insights from their colleagues in sales and product development. They ended up with a solution where paroc CGL 20cy lamellas would be packed separately onto the pallet with gluing surface upwards to speed up the installation process. They also came up with the idea of using smaller and lower pallets that would be easier to handle in garages and cellars.

The plastic wrap around the lamellas was replaced with a plastic hood. Due to the lower, lighter and stackable pallets with protecting foil hoods the quality of the packaging improved, providing better protection during storage. Also, the transportation of the pallets is easier, since forklifts are not necessarily needed. Unlike the previous packaging, which required customers to remove multiple layers, the new design only required unpacking the hood.

The piloting of the new package took place in Poland. Finding a suitable site and customer was easy, as the time, cost, and plastic-saving benefits of the new packaging were already clear when looking for a pilot location. 

3. The result: 50% less plastic waste

The new packaging brought positive results, making both Strazdas and Stempuchowski pleased. Based on a measured reduction in plastic weight per cubic meter, the new packaging requires 50% less plastic.

For example, when insulating a 4,000 m² garage, the new packaging method reduces plastic waste from 340 to 168 kilograms. This is good news for the environment, as it cuts down own plastic waste, and for the contractor, who can save on recycling costs.

"In the beginning we wanted to make things easier and faster for the customers, but when we realized how much plastics were saved, it was a lot. We feel very good about it”, Strazdas says.

The new packaging was first introduced in Poland and soon after in the Baltic countries. In Finland, the packaging was introduced in 2022, and today it is used for all paroc CGL 20cy slabs delivered in pallet packaging in all markets. Feedback from customers has been positive.

"This is a win-win situation for the customers”, says Stempuchowski.