A CLOSER LOOK AT SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFICATION

The thermal performance of window and doors is essential to creating energy efficient buildings – but beyond that sustainable building design requires transparency in the manufacture of products, and the materials used, to support overall environmental accreditation.

Having a view of all elements of a building project, including doors and window systems, allows projects to prove sustainable design by securing certification. Technical Services Director of Reynaers Aluminium UK, John McComb explains what accreditations matter most for sustainable building projects - and window and door systems.

One source of confusion over the environmental credentials of products is the number of ways their performance is assessed and certified. So, while top level targets for reaching net zero are clear, there can often be a number of questions about how to most accurately track the sustainability of buildings. This means that manufacturers need to do more in helping to clear this confusion.

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE LOOKING FOR FROM A MANUFACTURER?

Manufacturers should have a clear policy in place led by environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, outlining an ethical position in terms of the environment, social impact, and the way the business is run.

Reynaers, for example, has put in place Reynaers Act, a sustainability strategy covering the manufacture of products, operation of the business and all aspects of the value chain. A strong first step is to work with schemes such as the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), where organisations set firm, measurable targets to lower emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.

WHAT ACCREDITATIONS ARE AVAILABLE?

At the specification stage, attention needs to be paid to the products used and whether they meet criteria for key certifications. This should be covered by environmental product declarations (EPDs) and Cradle to Cradle certification.

For a verified account of the life of a product an EPD details eco-credentials, covering value chain, raw materials, manufacturing, use and end of life. Compliant with ISO 14025, the international standard for environmental labels, it gives a clear insight into the suitability of a product.

Cradle to Cradle certification focuses more directly on the product, with the aim to support a circular economy. This judges the safety of materials, energy and water usage, and social responsibility, but most importantly, that it can be reused at the end of its life.

Project Certification

Product-specific certification will put in place the foundations to secure overall sustainability accreditation. In the UK the most common accreditation is BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method - the first scheme in the country to recognise sustainable building design. Independent assessments use scientific data to measure factors including energy use, materials used, waste, air quality and wellbeing.

Alternatively, projects can apply for LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Developed in the United States, LEED is used globally, verifying certification through documentation. While both schemes hold high standards, BREEAM is more widely adopted in the UK, having been established here.

If the focus is thermal efficiency, Passive House verifies energy emissions from buildings. Windows and doors are key to Passive House accreditation as buildings should have no need for heat energy, instead naturally maintaining a comfortable temperature through insulation and ventilation.

Ideally sustainable projects would meet all relevant accreditations. In practice this would see Cradle to Cradle doors and windows, backed by EPD declarations, offering optimal thermal efficiency in a sustainable building.

This is essential for the future but can be done now. Reynaers already manufactures nine Cradle to Cradle systems and has committed to double the number by 2024, as well as adding digital passports to all of its products, and introducing recycled aluminium where possible. Reynaers has already secured an initial supply of low carbon Aluminium and is looking to systematically increase this supply in the near future. A number of Reynaers products also achieve U-values as low as 0.8w/m²K – the standard for Passive House. These all support sustainable building accreditation. The use of different certifications reflects the piecemeal, retrospective approach to climate change on a wider scale, but together these schemes implement the high standards needed to make a change, in most cases complementing each other to ensure sustainable design.

Building a sustainable economy is vital and with consumer demand and stronger governance supporting that, the need for clear accreditation is essential, so while many of these initiatives are currently voluntary this is most likely to change to a more uniform approach in future.