BUSINESS: 381 PRACTICES
Kerakoll is the first company in the world to offer a complete solution in materials and services for GreenBuilding, for construction and living with respect for the environment and well-being in homes. Since its founding in 1968, Kerakoll has been developing in the national and international building materials market, which has made it a leader in GreenBuilding.
The GreenBuilding Rating® was created to give the construction industry a new tool for guiding the design and construction of eco-friendly buildings. In the absence of a single assessment system on the European level, Kerakoll® developed the GreenBuilding Rating®, the first evaluation method intended to guide the development of products that are more respectful of the environment and the health of occupants, giving building owners and professionals in the sector the tool they need to achieve immediate, measurable impact in the performance of the products themselves.
The GreenBuilding Rating® is widely considered to be one of the most important initiatives for promoting responsible use of building materials that respect both health and the environment. The GreenBuilding Rating® construction sustainability assessment system is voluntary, based on existing regulatory requirements, European protocols, and environmental certifications, and is market-driven.
By relying on the most recent provisions in sustainability, health, and energy, the GreenBuilding Rating® is the certified standard for measuring the sustainability performance of building materials in order to:
• Obtain a standardized system measuring the "greenness" of a product.
• Improve the performance of environmental sustainability over time.
• Define the quality of the indoor environment.
• Evaluate energy and acoustic performance.
• Encourage manufacturers to develop green products.
• Raise awareness of the benefits of GreenBuilding in the wider public.
• Pilot the building industry towards sustainable building.
Specifically, products that carry the GreenBuilding Rating® mark are independently certified to guarantee consumers low environmental impact as well as health and medical quality, taking into account the social, economic, and ecological needs of present and future generations.
The initiative is aimed at the construction industry as through the standardization of a measurement methodology for what a green product is, it encourages the development of green products by producers and directs the construction industry towards sustainability.
The GreenBuilding Rating® works to provide the definition of standards, warranty marks, and market access for construction companies, building material distribution organizations, and designers interested in the green building sector.
In addition, it is addressed to the applicator and the end user (resident) as through the use of non-toxic substances, the impact on health is minimized both during the application of the materials and during the living of the premises, minimizing the release of aggravating substances inside the houses. and improving indoor air quality.
Finally, the initiative is addressed indirectly to the whole community as GreenBuilding Rating® promotes the ecologically and socially useful and economically sustainable design of green buildings around the world as described below:
An ecologically-suitable design ensures that construction of green buildings has the lowest possible impact on the ecosystem, and also reduces CO2 emissions, use of environmental resources, and the generation of waste.
Socially-useful design allows the community to enjoy long-term benefits by creating the best indoor air quality conditions and healthy environments in which to live better.
Economically-sustainable design means that GreenBuilding is also a good economic investment in the upper segment of the building market, making it possible to reduce operating and management costs, thereby increasing the value of the building over time.
2010 - today
The first GreenBuilding Rating® pilot project to determine and measure the environmental sustainability performance of building materials was presented in March 2009, followed in April 2010, after significant successive modifications, the presentation and publication of the GreenBuilding Rating® edition 2010.
Along with the development and maturation of GreenBuilding Rating®, the program took new initiatives, which were added to the evaluation system focused on measuring the environmental performance of each product (GreenBuilding Rating® ECO version 2010 and 2011), developing new specialized evaluation systems for measurement of WTO emissions, dilution of indoor pollutants and reduction of indoor allergens.
The new GreenBuilding Rating® BIO version 2011 is the first measurement system, which determines the quality of the indoor environment, due to the use of certified natural building materials. Since January 2011 the GreenBuilding Rating® ECO version 2011 has gained significant certification from the international certification body SGS.
The benchmarks of sustainable design are constantly evolving and refining: new technologies and new products are entering the market daily and innovative design practices are proving their effectiveness day by day. Consequently, even the GreenBuilding Rating® system and reference documents need to be kept up to date with new construction practices, evolving standards and new scientific discoveries in the field of sustainability, health and energy efficiency.
The environmental impact of the design, construction, and operation of buildings is enormous: in fact, in Europe buildings are responsible for producing 40% of CO2 emissions, using 35% of environmental resources, and creating 38% of waste, and also have an impact on human health (Sick Building Syndrome).
According to estimates by the World Health Organisation, 20% of the western population is affected by Sick Building Syndrome (headaches, nausea, irritations) traceable to the poor quality of construction materials of chemical origin, and indoor pollution has become an increasingly widespread problem.
Following concerns about the impact that buildings have on the environment, in 2000 Kerakoll® launched a preliminary study on the environmental impact of chemical building products, and researchers became immediately aware of the need for the building industry to transform itself toward environmental sustainability, developing next-generation materials on the cutting edge of technology, yet respectful of the environment and of the health of its inhabitants. It also became clear that an assessment system was needed to measure and improve the environmental performance of building materials.
The result of the above is the presentation for the first time by Kerakoll in 2010 of the GreenBuilding Rating®, the only certified standard on the market, capable of accurately measuring the most important characteristics of the environmental sustainability of building materials, to determine the sustainability performance and quality of indoor environment.
Since January 2011, the ECO GreenBuilding Rating® has been verified and certified by the prestigious Swiss certification institute SGS as an assessment and quality system for the performance of building products and materials in terms of environmental sustainability.
The GreenBuilding Rating® evaluates 8 major areas of sustainability and indoor environmental quality:
• Use of locally-sourced resources.
• Recovery and recycling of natural minerals.
• Reduction of CO2 emissions into the air.
• Reduced reliance on substances which are hazardous to human health and the environment.
• Indoor air quality.
• Environmental decontamination from biological pollutants.
• Improved energy efficiency.
• Recyclability at the end of life.
The GreenBuilding Rating® consists of 2 main pillars: The ECO pillar that identifies the most important parameters of environmental sustainability of building materials and the BIO pillar that determines the quality of the air we breathe indoors.
The GreenBuilding Rating® Eco pillar evaluates product performance through objectively measurable environmental sustainability indicators to provide a rating based on each product's environmental rating. This certainly produces data and a solid foundation for a constructive dialogue between stakeholders (designers, builders, craftsmen and end users).
HOW SCORES ARE CALCULATED
The methodology behind the ECO GreenBuilding Rating® classifies Kerakoll® products in the ECO range into 3 categories depending on their type and the specific regulatory references:
INORGANIC MINERALS CATEGORY
ORGANIC MINERALS CATEGORY
ORGANIC FLUIDS CATEGORY
Each category is linked to 5 specific objectively measurable indicators of environmental sustainability.
Products stand out for their compliance with the ecoparameters, and are marked with an ECO compliance symbol on every package and in all technical documentation.
This system allows designers and users to easily classify the products both by how they are used and by their environmental compatibility, determining the environmental performance of building materials on a scale from ECO Zero (the product is not considered eco-friendly) to ECO 5 (the product is considered eco-friendly and has low environmental impact).
EVALUATION CRITERIA ECO
The GreenBuilding Rating® ECO takes into account the most important criteria for evaluating materials for the objective measurement of environmental impact, well-being inside buildings and the health of users:
• CO2 emissions,
• the use of local and recycled inert minerals,
• the complete recyclability of the product at the end of its life cycle,
• the emission of volatile organic compounds
• the percentage of local minerals associated with indoor pollution,
• solvent content
• the risk to users' health
• environmental risk labeling
The pilar GreenBuilding Rating® BIO For the first time on the construction market, in addition to sustainable practices, the BIO GreenBuilding Rating® also introduces practices that address the problem of indoor environmental quality. It evaluates the performance of products through objectively-measurable indicators to assess how quickly they dilute the leading indoor pollutants, and it is designed to provide a score that will serve as a basis to determine the breathability Rating of each product.
HOW SCORES ARE CALCULATED
The methodology behind the BIO GreenBuilding Rating® classifies Kerakoll® products in the BIO range into 3 categories depending on their type, the tests conducted, and the specific regulatory references. ΦΥΣΙΚΑ
INORGANIC NATURAL MINERALS
INORGANIC NATURAL SEMI-FLUIDS
INORGANIC NATURAL FLUIDS
Each category is associated with 3 indoor air quality indicators and 2 specific environmental sustainability indicators that are objectively measurable. Based on compliance with the environmental quality parameters, products are distinguished from each other and marked with a BIO conformity symbol on every package and in all technical documentation. This system allows designers and users to easily classify the products both by how they are used and by their biocompatibility, on a scale from BIO Zero (the product is not considered breathable) to BIO 5 (the product is considered highly breathable and has low environmental impact).
EVALUATION CRITERIA BIO
The GreenBuilding Rating® BIO is based on the fundamental parameters of the breathability of the walls, in order to ensure better indoor air quality and living of the inhabitants:
• the IAQ VOC which is a fundamental parameter for estimating the emissions of volatile organic compounds in products,
• IAQ BIOACTIVE which guarantees, through CSTB certificates, the natural protection of surfaces from bacteria and fungi
• the IAQ ACTIVE that measures the reduction of the concentration of indoor air pollutants
• toxicity to the environment and health
• environmental friendliness
• water / solvent based production
At Kerakoll®, the adoption of sustainable practices in the design and development of new generation products enables the achievement of environmental, economic and social benefits with obvious benefits for all users of the building, including the owners, for the occupants and for the entire population in general.
Through the GreenBuilding Rating® system, the standard for measuring the performance of sustainability and the quality of the indoor environment, Kerakoll® is really helping to change common building practices, promoting a better quality of life worldwide.
The RATING marking on the packaging is a guarantee to the user that the manufacturer has complied with the following:
• The product has the characteristics of breathability and environmental friendliness provided by the GreenBuilding Rating® protocol
• The manufacturer has issued a signed Declaration of Conformity, in which it assumes responsibility for those declared with the GreenBuilding Rating® markings
• The GreenBuilding Rating® system has been independently tested and certified by SGS, confirming the reliability and accuracy of its information.
In summary, the ECO marking represents a guarantee to the designer, the technician and the end user that the product used has environmental friendliness characteristics and that these remain virtually unchanged in all production batches.
Similarly, the BIO marking represents a guarantee to the designer, the technician and the end user that the product used has breathability, hygiene and environmental friendliness characteristics and that these remain virtually unchanged in all production batches.
GreenBuilding Rating® is a Group tool that is applied to all the companies of the Group and is communicated in all the markets in which we operate.
In the context of the development of the GreenBuilding Rating® rating system, the Kerakoll Group collaborated with the following Institutions - Research Centers:
In 2006 the collaboration began with the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) for the scientific study of the natural ventilating capacities of construction systems in relation to their capacity to dilute the leading pollutants inside buildings. Indoortron, which is located at the JRC in Ispra (Varese), is unique of its kind in the world; it is a system of chambers used to determine which substances are emitted by building materials, furnishings, products for the home, and finishings, as well as how these substances influence the quality of the air that we breathe in closed spaces.
In 2007 a European programme was launched to demonstrate that raw materials from strictly-natural sources, such as Biocalce®, have extraordinary natural antibacterial and fungistatic properties, ensuring healthy environments.
The study was carried out in collaboration with the French Institute CSTB (Technical Scientific Centre for Construction), in particular with the Energy-Health- Environment Department, Health Division, located in Marne-la-Vallée near Paris. The Institute is one of the leading research institutes in its sector in Europe, making crucial contributions to the field such as that reported years ago to raise awareness of the risk of legionella in public places and private homes.
In 2008, in response to the growing need for energy certification of buildings in Europe, the Klima Room project was launched with scientific support from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia to create a unique tool in Italy: the first climate-controlled chamber with a next-generation thermal flow meter that could reliably reproduce the actual operating conditions of a building. Simulating different construction systems inside the Klima Room, the researchers began to verify and clarify the relationship that exists between the elements that constitute walls with better energy return on investment in relation to their breathability characteristics.
The following departments of the Group worked for the implementation, application and communication of the initiative:
• System Improvement Department, for the management and coordination of the system
• Recearch Center, for product development and definition of technical performance and their characteristics
• R&D and Purchase Department for the purchase of raw materials and their environmental characteristics
• R&D Department for the study of WTOs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and for health and environmental hazards
• Marketing, for communication through all the tools of the product (packaging, technical data sheet, catalog, etc.)
There is no participation of volunteers in the program
The Kerakoll Group was the first to develop a method for the analysis of sustainability as early as 2010, proving our commitment to products with the lowest possible impact on the environment. In addition, by keeping the tool up to date based on product development, we are always able to measure its viability profile.
Kerakoll Hellas, as a member of the Kerakoll Group, has integrated since 2010 in its product design and production process, the internal sustainability performance evaluation system GreenBuilding Rating®. As a dynamic system, it enables the continuous improvement of products and processes based on international sustainability standards.
All Kerakoll Group products have been analyzed according to the requirements of GreenBuilding Rating® and the results are listed. Specifically for the products produced in Kerakoll Hellas, 36 products have been analyzed based on the Green Building Rating and the average score is 3.5/5.
Specifically, the following product lines are produced and analyzed based on the GreenBuilding Rating® ECO criteria (the images of the materials with the corresponding RATINGS are attached):
• Gel-Adhesives for ceramic tiles and natural stones (RATING 4)
• Mineral grouts for ceramic tiles and natural stones (RATING 2.5)
Adhesive and grinding materials for KlimaExpert thermal insulation systems (RATING 4)
• Mineral mortars for the monolithic restoration of concrete (RATING 3.5)
Through GreenBuilding Rating® Kerakoll is committed to:
• Impose quality controls on production in the factory, with a significant reduction in water consumption
and in polluting emissions into the atmosphere (greenhouse gases, solvents, etc.) of process chemical substances and waste products.
• Run precise controls on every new production, change raw materials, and update the manufacturing processes.
• Keep testing equipment in good order. Record and preserve the results of quality controls for at least 10 years, and provide them upon request.
• Identify and set aside products (raw or finished materials) that are found to be non-compliant during testing.
• Assume responsibility for the eco-friendly characteristics declared.
