Irish firm Kingspan 'knowingly created false market' for insulation used on Grenfell tower — report

Report found Cavan-headquartered Kingspan deliberately marketed and sold K15 relying heavily on tests which were carried out on a different product

The 1,700 page report found that the Grenfell Tower fire which killed 72 people was the result of “decades of failure” by the UK government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings. David Mirzoeff/PA Wire

The long-awaited final report into the devastating Grenfell Tower Fire has found that Irish insulation giant Kingspan "knowingly created a false market” for its K15 product which was used on the London tower block.

Cavan-headquartered Kingspan was one of several construction firms to face significant criticism, with the report finding the company had, from 2005 and even after the inquiry began in the wake of the fire, sold K15 and advised of its use on buildings over 18 metres.

The company has long said its K15 insulation product, which made up 5% of the insulation in the Grenfell Tower block, was used without its knowledge.

The Kingspan product was used following supply problems with insulation boards of UK rival Celotex, the product specified by those responsible for the refurbishment.

However, the report revealed Kingspan deliberately marketed and sold K15 relying heavily on tests which were carried out on a different product. 

Kingspan concealed this information from the British Board of Agrément (BBA), the report added.

"Disastrous" testing

Further tests on systems incorporating K15 in the following two years were “disastrous”, the report said, however, Kingspan did not withdraw the product from the market, “despite its own concerns about its fire performance”.

The 1,700 page report found that the Grenfell Tower fire which killed 72 people was the result of “decades of failure” by the UK government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.

In a statement on Wednesday, Kingspan welcomed the report, saying 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."

The inquiry into the Grenfell Tower also uncovered emails from Kingspan staff in the UK dating back to 2009 that joked about the fact that fire safety tests on K15 were flawed.

Kingspan added that it 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."

Cavan-headquartered Kingspan CEO Gene Murtagh Photo: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

"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."

The company added that it remains committed to playing a "leading role in providing safe and sustainable building solutions," including continuing to work with government and industry partners.

Founded in 1965 and headed by Gene Murtagh, Kingspan saw revenue reach an "all-time high" in the first half of this year, growing by 2% to €4.1bn. 

The company has also began to expand into the US, with the group saying in its interim report last month that the Americas performed well as penetration of its technology continues to increase.

Kingspan said it expects to deliver a better performance in the second half of 2024 “with trading profit growth anticipated for the full year.”