How we contribute to a circular economy
At Troldtekt, we are working on several initiatives to give our panels one or more extra life cycles. In our resource hierarchy, we provide an overview of the possibilities.
The construction industry must recycle, reuse and repurpose materials – rather than throw them away. This is the principle of the circular economy, which is an important part of Kingspan’s sustainability programme, Planet Passionate. One of the goals is that the Group’s companies should not create waste for landfill – i.e. buried waste.
To become Cradle to Cradle Certified®, as Troldtekt acoustic panels have been since 2012, a material must be able to enter new cycles. It can be a biological cycle, where the material is transformed into nutrients in nature, or a technical cycle, where the material can become a resource in the creation of new products.
Troldtekt acoustic panels have achieved the certification’s gold level in the category of material health. It has thus been documented that the panels are free of substances which are harmful to humans and the environment.
As high up in the hierarchy as possible
At Troldtekt, we have established our own resource hierarchy that outlines opportunities for the circular economy. The top tiers of the hierarchy are the best, because they are all about product preservation.
According to our environmental product declarations (EPDs), Troldtekt acoustic panels have a service life of at least 50 years. With painting and repairs, however, the service life can be even longer. We have multiple examples of old Troldtekt panels being given a new lease of life during renovations – including the Danish architectural firm ZENI, where the panels were originally installed in the former industrial building back in 1957.
Recycling and upcycling are the next steps in the hierarchy. Old Troldtekt panels can be removed from buildings and, following minimal processing if necessary, reused elsewhere. This is the case, for example, in the high-rise building TRÆ in the Port of Aarhus , where one floor features directly recycled Troldtekt acoustic ceilings.
After recycling and reutilisation in the resource hierarchy comes downcycling. We have introduced a return scheme at Troldtekt so that waste and offcuts from the processing of Troldtekt cement-bonded wood wool panels on building sites can benefit the biological cycle. For example, they can be used as weed-inhibiting ground cover in forests and plantations.
For a number of years, we have also sent waste from our edging workshop at the factory in Troldhede back to cement supplier Aalborg Portland. The wood content in the waste is recovered as fuel, while Aalborg Portland downcycles the cement content into new cement.
