CRH: Sustainable building materials
CRH is a global manufacturer of integrated building materials, products, and innovative end-to-end solutions for the built environment. With no less than 77,000 employees spread over 3,100 locations in twenty-nine countries, CRH is a leader in the building materials business.
For CRH, sustainability is a strategic imperative for the business. They have integrated sustainability in all layers of the company, and work according to six priority areas: safety, environment, people, products, collaboration and integrity.
In the Products area, CRH aims to promote a circular economy. They redesign their products and components to optimize the life-cycle performance of buildings and offer offering end-of-life solutions to their customers. In doing so, CRH aligns with the Cradle to Cradle principles.
C2C Certified building materials for ZIN
In Belgium, CRH Structural Concrete contacted C2C Platform in 2020 to assist them in the Cradle to Cradle Certified® certifications process for products that would be used in the ZIN project.
The ZIN project will transform the former WTC towers in the north of Brussels into a multifunctional urban building. Once complete, it will be a reference for ‘making city’ in the future, setting high standards for respecting the environment and product circularity. ;
ZIN requires 95% of the products used to be Cradle to Cradle Certified. CRH thus wanted to certify their precast concrete floor and roof slabs and structural elements.
As the lead assessment body, C2C Platform assessed CRH’s products against the five critical categories of sustainability performance:
- Material Health
- Product Circularity
- Clean Air & Climate Protection
- Water & Soil Stewardship
- Social Fairness
After a close collaboration, CRH obtained the Cradle to Cradle Certified certification at the Silver level for the following products:
- Ergon Lier site: Floor and roof slabs (Hollow Core floor), Structural elements (Beams and columns)
- Prefaco Lommel site: Structural elements (Stairs and landings, Beams and columns, Solid walls, Balconies, Roof slabs)
- Prefaco Wieze site: Structural elements (Beams and columns), Floors (Shuttering slab), Walls (Double wall, Solid walls, Zeromur)
The certification is valid for two years until April 2023, around the time of the planned delivery of the ZIN building.
C2C Platform is the Cradle to Cradle partner for the overall ZIN project and continues to guide other collaborating manufacturers through the certification process. Keep an eye on our Inspiration and LinkedIn page to discover more about the circular products that will be used during the building’s construction.