With over 2,000 exhibitors from 42 countries and some 250,000 visitors, BAU is an ideal forum for the high-profile presentation of sustainability – and thus of the Cradle to Cradle approach. That is why Drees & Sommer has organized the C2C Day jointly with EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung on January 17, 2017, specifically addressing planners and product manufacturers. The focus of the event is on current trends and developments in the area of C2C. For the first time, the newly developed Cradle to Cradle certificate will be presented to the manufacturers Schüco, Strähle and the Lindner Group. Drees & Sommer supports the certification process for construction products.
The company integrates Cradle to Cradle requirements into project planning using Circular Engineering. The Drees & Sommer C2C experts advise principals and investors on the selection and use of appropriate building materials both in new buildings and in the remodeling of the established buildings. In addition to their usability in technical and biological cycles, materials used are examined to ensure, for example, that they do not pose a risk to human health or harm the environment. Energy and water management during production and social standards at the production site are also evaluated. In addition, building materials are transparently recorded in a Material Passport to ensure that, following demolition or remodeling at a later date, they can be reused without loss of quality. This recycling approach transforms the building into a raw material repository, whose value continuously increases, and allows potential increases in value to be reliably calculated. According to Drees & Sommer calculations, Cradle to Cradle can achieve value increases of up to ten percent compared to conventional buildings.
C2C in the construction industry: Making a virtue of necessity
The construction industry uses 50 percent of resources and generates a good 60 percent of waste in Europe. But the Cradle to Cradle principle in the construction industry helps to install the raw materials in buildings in such a way that they can be used as raw material for new projects at the end of their first service life. In this way, components and materials become part of a closed cycle. Instead of producing mountains of rubble each time a building is demolished, all materials can be fully recycled without loss of quality.