“The concept and idea of the IBU is absolutely spot on”
As the year draws to a close, a further manufacturer of insulating products, VÖWA GmbH, has become a member of the Institut Bauen und Umwelt e. V. (IBU). The medium-sized company from Bobingen in Bavaria has been producing insulating materials since 1973, specialising in particular in the use of polyester fibre fleece.
100 percent of production waste is recycled
As early as 1983, VÖWA began putting 100% of the production waste produced—during the manufacture of fleece hoses or when cutting sheet products, for example—back into the production cycle. VÖWA has now created the first Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for its “Vitherm” panels for decoupling and impact sound reduction, which will be verified and published through the IBU’s EPD programme. “Vitherm panels are made up of over 90 percent recycled material”, explains managing director Günther Vöst. “We use our own production waste as well as waste from other companies to produce high-quality products for the construction industry.” These not only increase the quality of the building thanks to the resulting application properties, but are also extremely durable and weather-resistant, environmentally compatible and harmless to health due to the use of polyester fibre fleece.
IBU embodies a convincing and transparent system
VÖWA created the EPD in response to frequent requests from architects, planners and project sponsors. At the same time, the EPD will help the company in sales and public relations activities to position itself against competing products—for example by providing detailed information on the energy required to manufacture the products, on the materials used and on reusability and recycling potential. “We are delighted to become a member of the IBU”, emphasises Günther Vöst. “We can already say that the concept and the idea are absolutely spot on.” According to Mr Vöst, VÖWA decided to become a member “because the IBU embodies and demonstrates the very system of sustainable construction. Not only in words, but also in figures, and this is totally convincing and transparent in an increasingly complex construction industry.” The next EPDs for two reinforcement sheets are already at the planning stage.