In its campaigning, the SMART labor union has made extensive references to Kingspan and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry into the tragic fire in the UK in 2017 in which 72 people lost their lives. We extend our deepest sympathies to the relatives, survivors, and others impacted by the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Over the years, the SMART labor union’s campaigns regarding this tragedy were made to damage Kingspan’s reputation and pressure Kingspan to agree to a neutrality agreement – an agreement that would compromise the rights of our employees.
On September 4th, 2024, the UK government released its final report on the Public Inquiry into the tragedy. At Kingspan, we welcome the publication of the report, which is crucial to a public understanding of what went wrong and why.
The report 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.
No US-based Kingspan businesses had any involvement in the tragedy nor were any US-manufactured Kingspan products supplied to the project.
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.
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 – actions that you can find comprehensively and fully explained on our dedicated Inquiry microsite.
What is Kingspan’s Response and Commitment Moving Forward?
Around the world, Kingspan’s businesses, including its US businesses, have taken significant steps to ensure that the historical failings in part of our UK insulation business identified during the Grenfell Tower Inquiry will never happen again. We remain committed to playing a leading role in providing safe and sustainable building solutions, including continuing to work with the UK government and industry partners. Below are just a few of the many ways we strive for excellence every day.
- Enhanced Global Code of Conduct Program
Kingspan has implemented a global Groupwide Code of Conduct, which is supported by extensive training to ensure all Kingspan employees fully understand our expectations regarding honesty, integrity, and compliance with the law. This program is essential to ensuring that all employees, no matter their level, are acting in accordance with our safety and ethical standards that we value so deeply at Kingspan.
- World Leader in Certification to ISO 37301 Compliance Management Systems
Kingspan has rolled out its ISO 37301 certification program, ensuring that as of September 2024, 76 of our manufacturing sites around the world, including 13 in the US, are accredited to this world-leading compliance standard. This makes Kingspan one of the first companies in the industry to achieve this level of certification. In 2023 alone, Kingspan underwent 490 external audits to verify its systems and processes, further demonstrating our commitment to transparency and safety.
- Marketing Integrity Manual
In 2021 Kingspan introduced a Marketing Integrity Manual, ensuring that all product information is clear, accessible, and accurate. This program is audited regularly to maintain the highest standards of clarity and responsibility across all global businesses. We take our products and their offerings extremely seriously and this Manual is a reflection of our commitment to ensuring that all those selling and purchasing materials are accurately informed on the technical attributes, testing, approvals and proper usage for each product.
- Whistleblowing Culture
Kingspan has strengthened its whistleblowing culture, creating a safe environment where all employees are encouraged to raise concerns and speak up if they notice anything that does not align with our values. Kingspan firmly believes that open communication is key to maintaining the highest ethical standards and we continue to put that into practice with our employees every day.
SMART’s Pre-Inquiry Report Statements about Kingspan and Grenfell Tower
The SMART labor union has frequently commented on Kingspan and the then ongoing Grenfell Tower Inquiry. They have made comments in their efforts to damage Kingspan’s reputation and pressure Kingspan to agree to their demands, which would compromise the rights of our employees.
Instead of waiting for the Inquiry to be completed and for its findings to be made, the SMART labor union made incomplete or misleading statements about some evidence presented in the Inquiry. It is critical to recognize that the SMART labor union’s communications conflict with important findings by the Inquiry.