Fletcher Insulation agrees to withdraw weights-on-
                     ceilings brochure
Following an approach by the Australian Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association
(ACIMA), Fletcher Insulation has agreed to withdraw its brochure entitled `Don't
Risk Ceiling Overload' (the Brochure') from the market. ACIMA believes that the
Brochure contains a number of false, misleading and deceptive representations that are in
breach of the Trade Practices Act 1974.

The matters that are considered by ACIMA to be misleading and deceptive include:

   1. The Brochure incorrectly claims that home owner face a real risk of `ceiling
      overload' resulting in ceiling sagging and collapse, if they use loose fill cellulose
      fibre ceiling insulation rather than Fletcher glass wool batts. The Brochure
      however fails to disclose that actual cases of ceiling sagging or collapse are
      seldom, if ever, solely attributable to the weight of ceiling insulation. The
      homeowner's choice of ceiling insulation is therefore not a material risk factor
      in relation to ceiling collapse.

   2. The Brochure incorrectly states that using loose fill cellulose fibre may exceed
      plasterboard manufacturer's guidelines for maximum load and may void the
      manufacturer's warranty. The Brochure fails to mention that ceiling loads in
      excess of plasterboard manufacturer's recommendations can be accommodated by
      use of additional support within the ceiling mounting system and therefore can
      be installed without breaching the plasterboard manufacturer's guidelines or
      risking the warranty.

   3. The Brochure incorrectly claims that `Batts are better by any comparison' and
      provides a selective comparison of various features of glass wool batts and
      loose fill cellulose fibre. The brochure however fails to include some key
      comparisons that would favour loose fill cellulose fibre insulation over glass
      wool batts. In particular the brochure does not compare loose fill cellulose
      fibre's performance with batts in relation to their comparative:

          ·   ease of achieving proper thermal performance.

          ·   environmental life cycle analysis (LCA) rating

          ·   acoustic performance




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4. The brochure incorrectly suggests that Loose Fill Cellulose fibre insulation
   creates a long term health risk by asserting that only glass wool batts have
   been `cleared' by health and research authorities. The brochure however fails
   to disclose that the reason that glass wool batts had to be `cleared' was that until
   2001 glass wool batts were classified by the International Agency for Research on
   Cancer (IARC) as a possible carcinogen in humans. Organic based cellulose
   fibre has never been graded as a possible carcinogen by IARC and therefore
   has never needed to be `cleared'.

5. The Brochure incorrectly states that Batts are `recommended by Australia's
   leading plaster board manufacturers as the most suitable ceiling insulation...'
   ACIMA has corresponded with leading manufacturers of plasterboard and they
   have stated that they do not recommend one form of ceiling insulation over
   another.



   24 December 2009                                                              ends




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