Burmatex - Leading the Field

Q: What is an Environmental Profile?: Show answer; A: An Environmental Profile is a multi-criteria 'nutritional label' of environmental data based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a product.

An Environmental Profile has been classed by international standards as a Type III product declaration.
Q: How does it work?: Show answer; A: An Environmental Profile is produced by identifying and measuring the effects on the environment of a material used in construction. The environmental effects are taken into account from the moment of first producing the material (e.g. mining or quarrying) to its disposal - after its useful life.

The method of anaylsis used to create an Environmental profile is called Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) which enables manufacturers to demonstrate the performance of their products over its life cycle from 'cradle' to 'grave'.
Q: What is BREEAM?: Show answer; A: BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) assesses the environmental performance of buildings in the following areas:

Management
Health & Wellbeing
Energy
Transport
Water
Materials
Land Use and Ecology
Pollution

Credits are awarded in each area according to performance. No credits are mandatory providing flexibility in the way to obtain certain levels of certification. A set of environmental weightings then enables the credits to be added together to produce a single overall score. The building is then rated on a scale of PASS, GOOD, VERY GOOD and EXCELLENT and a certificate is awarded that can be used for promotional purposes.
Q: Why do I need to know about it?: Show answer; A: Most importantly, the Department for Education and Skills (DFES) has made it a statutory requirement in education, in particular that every new school has to have a BREEAM rating of 'very good' or better. BREEAM is also now required on all Government office buildings, which represents over 40% of construction in UK. However the principles of BREEAM are being adopted more widely as an accepted code of best practice.
Q: Materials and BREEAM?: Show answer; A: As outlined above there are 8 categories included within the BREEAM assessment. Through gaining credits in each of these categories a BREEAM rating can be achieved. Each of these categories are weighted, the Materials category typically accounts for 10% of the final score.
Q: What building elements are included in the materials section of the BREEAM assessment?: Show answer; A: Materials credits within the BREEAM Assessment are awarded for various aspects of buildings including: floors, roofs, external walls, doors, windows and insulation.
Q: How useful is an Environmental Profile to me?: Show answer; A: An Environmental Profile offers third party certification. A product which has undergone an Environmental Profile can help architects/specifiers, to easily identify which products will best fulfil a sustainability brief in absolute confidence that the information is unbiased and nationally recognised.
Q: Do sustainable products cost more?: Show answer; A: They shouldn't. In fact, the efficient processes that Environmental Profiles certification promotes should mean that products and processes are more cost effective through factors such as reduction of wastage and recycling etc. So there is no added monetary cost, just the added value that you are helping to secure provision for future generations. But we can only speak for ourselves of course.
Q: Is this just another fad? Here today gone tomorrow?: Show answer; A: On the contrary, profiled products are continuously re-assessed at 12 months intervals to maintain standards, with a view of eventually raising the bar to promote further improvement.
Q: So how does Burmatex measure up?: Show answer; A: We have been awarded A ratings which are currently amongst the best in the industry. Our polypropylene tufted tile, per 1m² installed, has an Ecopoint score of 0.048. Needlepunch sheet scores 0.067, with tile at 0.076 and our nylon tufted carpet tile at 0.082, all well within the A rated category.

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For more on BREEAM go to www.bre.co.uk/envprofiles or see our friends at www.wearewhatwedo.org for more tips on how to change the world. We hope you've found this site useful.

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