Interpon (a brand of Akzo Nobel) confirmed the sustainability of its products by EPD renewal.
Enabling customers to better understand a product’s sustainable qualities and ultimately make more informed product selections, since 2015, AkzoNobel is the only major global supplier of powder coatings to have the quality of its products verified by EPD, the international system that reveals the environmental performance of a product throughout its lifecycle.
The renewed EPD for Interpon lasts until 2023 shows an improvement on the previous score.
The EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) system looks at all ingredients and process steps in the making of a product, and measures the impact on the environment.
For example, if a wax is made in Thailand and exported to Sweden for inclusion in a product, it scores less well than a wax made locally in Sweden, as a result of the CO2 generated by its transport. Similarly, if a material contains a high amount of solvent, its impact on the ozone layer will be higher than for a solvent-free product.
Having first undertaken the complex process in 2015, AkzoNobel was the first global powder coatings supplier to obtain the declaration.
The renewed EPD for its Interpon D range of architectural powder coatings lasts until 2023. The results show an improvement on the previous score and highlights various factors that are contributing to lower environmental impact, including a reduction in both waste and energy usage.
“In retail markets nowadays it’s almost unthinkable that a retail product would not have its origin and ingredients printed on the packaging” said powders’ Architectural Segment Manager, Jean-Paul Moonen, “yet in industrial goods it is still a novel concept to ask about the provenance of the ingredients. Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) are a first step on the way to changing this.”
Among a plethora of green and eco-labels which are not independently controlled, EPDs stand out as a trusted benchmark. The factors to be included, and how to measure them, are controlled by an international ISO standard, and so are comparable from country to country, region to region and between different suppliers. Third-party verified EPDs are the gold standard, as they prevent manufacturers from making false claims.
There are several recognition schemes, with LEED being among the leading ones. Using products with an EPD gives LEED credits, and more credits lead to higher LEED ratings.
“EPDs are increasingly requested in the construction industry, as architects and building owners want their projects to be recognized as environmentally-friendly. – said powders’ Architectural Segment Manager, Jean-Paul Moonen- Powder is an inherently sustainable product, as it contains no VOCs, but this is another step in offering our customers sustainable coatings solutions, so I’m very proud of this EPD certification for our Interpon D series.”
Caption
Matrex, the main public building of Skolkovo, designed by BERNASKONI in a consortium with the global experts.
The the name of the building is a synthesis of words Matryoshka, Matrix and Rex (from latin word rex – king), it combines the newest achievements in architecture, science and art. This is a hybrid of several urban functions. The official residence, startup offices, the transforming hall, the spiral museum (exhibit spiral), the restaurant – all these objects are placed here at the same time. Inside the pyramid there is a space in the form of matryoshka.
It was presented at the XV Architectural Biennale in Venice in 2016.
