Jan 16 2011
Transparency for sustainability: At Bau 2011, ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe will be presenting Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for its steel construction elements. The EPDs cover the company’s full range of single-skin elements and sandwich panels for facades, roofs and walls.
ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe is the first manufacturer to document the environmental performance of its products for the building envelope in such a comprehensive way. The company produces the steel construction elements in its Color/Construction business unit.
EPDs make the environmental performance of building products and building materials transparent. More and more architects and building designers are specifying these declarations so that they can achieve optimum sustainability even in the product selection phase. The EPDs for the construction elements comply with ISO standard 14025. They were prepared in association with PE International, a consulting firm specializing in sustainability issues, and certified by the expert committee of Institut für Bauen und Umwelt e.V.
The EPDs document and quantify environmental impacts over the full product life cycle, from raw material production to recycling: They include direct environmental factors such as effects on climate, air, water and soil, as well as health and safety aspects in production and processing. The composition of the rigid foams and mineral wools used for the sandwich panels is examined in the same way as the environmental impacts caused by product packaging and transportation.
Trade show motto: Steel Goes Green
ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe is exhibiting at Bau under the motto Steel Goes Green, chosen to emphasize the good environmental performance of steel construction products. The sandwich panels in particular, with their first-class insulating properties, are very energy-efficient and make a sustainable contribution to climate protection. They offer a simple and low-cost way to meet the requirements of the Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV) for building heat insulation. Since 2009 the ordinance has also applied to industrial buildings.
ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe pursues a holistic sustainability strategy that includes environmental as well as economic and socio-cultural aspects. The trade show presentation in Munich looks at the topic from various angles to show how steel products contribute to sustainable building.