Knauf Insulation, the Shelbyville, Ind.-based manufacturer, has filed a patent infringement action against CertainTeed Corp. in an Indiana federal court. According to the lawsuit, Knauf Insulation mineral wool is made with ECOSE technology, a sustainable binder technology based on rapidly renewable bio-based materials rather than petroleum-based chemicals commonly used in traditional fiberglass insulation products.  

Knauf alleges that CertainTeed, a subsidiary of Saint Gobain, infringed on the intellectual property rights of ECOSE technology when it manufactured and sold its Sustainable Insulation product. According to CertainTeed’s Web page, the Valley Forge, Pa., company uses recycled and renewable content including a plant-based, formaldehyde-free binder to make its Sustainable Insulation product. 

CertainTeed issued the following statement: "CertainTeed strongly denies the allegations of patent infringement contained in the Complaint filed today by Knauf in US District Court.  Moreover, CertainTeed and its international affiliates have their own unique and proprietary sustainable insulation binder formulation and have filed patent applications throughout the world on this formulation."