25/02/2019 / News

EPD for insulbar: Further improvement to life cycle assessment

The Institute of Window Technology ift Rosenheim has renewed the environmental product declaration (EPD) for insulbar insulating profiles. At BAU 2019, a representative from the ift presented the certificate officially to Matthias Rink, Head of Sales for the insulbar division.

In comparison with the EPD from 2013, we were able to once again improve all insulbar insulating profiles in terms of their life cycle assessment. The value for bars made from the standard material polyamide 66 GF is now 8.81 kg CO2 per kg insulating profile, instead of the previous 9.24 CO2. Admittedly, with insulbar RE from recycled PA the saving is even higher – 0.76 kg CO2 instead of 1.46.

The ift Rosenheim officially presents the new environmental declaration EPD for insulbar insulating bars New EPD for insulbar: Matthias Rink (left), Head of Sales at Ensinger, is delighted about the EPD for the insulbar insulating profiles. Right: Vivien Zwick, Project Engineer at the Certification and Monitoring Body for Sustainability, ift.
“We are delighted that the long-term measures for energy-efficient production and the use of resource-conserving raw materials are paying dividends. Through the additional use of green electricity, we have been able to reduce the CO2 footprint for insulbar RE by about another 50 percent. This has a positive impact on the EPDs of our customers’ windows and buildings”, says Rink, pleased. “The data calculated by the ift also helps us internally with the further optimisation of processes and products in respect of environmental goals.”

In addition, EPDs support distributors and processors with fulfilling ever more stringent environmental requirements in the context of tenders. Within the scope of the life-cycle assessment, the ift analysed comprehensive data on the lifecycles of insulbar and Thermix spacers for insulating glass “from the cradle to the factory gate”, in other words from raw material extraction through to sale and distribution. It also took into account the disposal and/or recycling. The environmental product declaration now contains reliable values which make it possible to provide evidence of sustainability to processors as well as to building owners, planners and architects