Rockpanel considers circular economy and responsible production methods to be crucial initiatives in securing a more sustainable future within the construction industry. As the latest step on their journey, Rockpanel have received external validation of their improvements by becoming Cradle to Cradle Certified¹ Silver on the product Rockpanel Colours.
Rockpanel firmly believes that building materials should have as little impact on the environment as possible. Therefore, their facade claddings are made from an abundant volcanic stone as well as recycled materials, and the company constantly strives to limit its environmental impact throughout the entire life cycle of the products.
As a result of this approach, Rockpanel has recently become Cradle to Cradle Certified at the Silver level for their most popular range, Rockpanel Colours. The certification Cradle to Cradle Certified® is made on the basis of Product Standard Version 4.0, which is the most ambitious and actionable global standard yet for developing products that are safe, circular and responsibly made. Jeroen Ebus, Managing Director of Rockpanel, describes it as yet another initiative consolidating Rockpanel’s position as a responsible manufacturer:
– “Becoming Cradle to Cradle Certified is crucial to our ambition of contributing to circular economy and a more sustainable construction industry. We constantly use our knowledge to implement measures that can help meet the sustainability goals of the ROCKWOOL Group, and the new certification allows us to measure results,” Jeroen Ebus says.
Close collaboration with partners led to certification
In order to become Cradle to Cradle Certified, Rockpanel has had to demonstrate that its products meet a wide range of sustainability requirements within five categories: Material Health, Product Circularity, Clean Air and Climate Protection, Water and Soil Stewardship and Social Fairness.
In total, Cradle to Cradle Certified has four levels, from Bronze to Platinum, with Rockpanel receiving a certification at the Silver level.
“We have worked closely with all our partners in the supply chain and all aspects of our products and operations. We are immensely grateful for their collaboration and openness in helping us achieve this”, Jeroen Ebus states and adds:
“Reducing our environmental impact is at the top of our agenda every day, both at Rockpanel and ROCKWOOL Group. Our continuous commitment is now documented with us becoming Cradle to Cradle Certified, and this will make it far more transparent and simpler for our customers and partners and help them make choices with a reduced climate impact,” Jeroen Ebus says.
Ambition to advise on aesthetics and sustainability
Jeroen Ebus mentions that architects and specifiers both will be given the best conditions to build sustainably with Rockpanel’s core product, facade claddings.
“We have an explicit ambition to strengthen our position as the architect’s favoured advisor, which includes being able to supply them with advice on how aesthetics and sustainability complement each other with Rockpanel,” Jeroen Ebus says.
He adds that the circularity approach is firmly rooted in the Rockpanel mindset. In addition to becoming Cradle to Cradle Certified, Rockpanel offers a recycling service that enables products to be taken back and recycled when producing new stone wool products. Rockpanel thus consists of up to 50% recycled materials.
“A sustainable approach will always be a core value at Rockpanel. And when we talk to our business partners and collaborators, we experience an increased demand in both knowledge and the right measures to be able to invest in sustainability. This makes us confident that Rockpanel is moving in the right direction.”, Jeroen Ebus says.
Facts
Cradle to Cradle Certified
Cradle to Cradle Certified is the leading multi-attribute standard used globally across industries by designers, brands, and manufacturers for designing and making products that enable a healthy, equitable and sustainable future.
For more than a decade, Cradle to Cradle Certified has been helping companies to innovate and optimize materials and products according to the world’s most advanced science-based measures.
www.rockpanel.co.uk/product-benefits/sustainability/cradle-to-cradle