With the unstoppable expansion of building activity, there is now an increasingly conscious effort to reduce its impact on the environment.
The 90s saw the emergence of sustainability protocols or certifications, including LEED, BREEAM and the Declare label.
Declare, the label that offers transparency
The certification protocols were created with the aim of spreading the culture of sustainable construction, studying and applying strategies to reduce the environmental impact of buildings.
The first step to this end is surely to make the process of choosing building materials transparent, so that their individual components can be analysed.
This is the purpose of the Declare label, created by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), an organisation that strives to make the world aware of a more sustainable and ecological mindset.
It is therefore a label that certifies the safety of building materials on the market, listing in detail the chemical components that make them up and highlighting any harmful or polluting substances on the Red List.
The label is also a true transparent platform and product database that is revolutionising the building materials market.
Procedure for obtaining the Declare label
By certifying a product, an accredited body affirms that that product conforms to what is stated in a technical reference document.
The company wishing to nominate its product for the Declare label must:
- forward the product and the list of ingredients to the label body, ILFI;
- the body will then analyse it in all its components;
- those accepted will eventually be entered into Declare's database.
The database will be continuously updated, aiming to become a means of promoting products that are environmentally sustainable and healthy in the environments they create.
Furthermore, the extreme user-friendliness of the platform has led manufacturers and planners to demand more and more transparency in their choice of environmentally friendly and healthy building materials.
Isopan's experience with Declare
The personal choice of some companies to certify one of their products is based on the desire to distinguish themselves on the market, while relying on the guarantee of a third party.
Voluntary certification is therefore intended to enhance the value of one's investments in sustainability.
This is exactly what Isopan, the first Italian company to obtain the Declare label for two of its products, has done: LEAF and Green ROOF.
LEAF technology
The LEAF technology developed by Isopan aims to improve the insulating performance of sandwich panels for walls and roofs, while making them even more sustainable, efficient and safe, as well as cost-effective.
This is why they were awarded the Declare label for their system.
Applying LEAF technology to the core of Isopan sandwich panels will improve the cellular structure of the closed-cell polyurethane. This will further reduce the thermal conductivity value, resulting in greater insulation for the same thickness.
Specifically, the peculiarities of this technology are:
- better fire resistance: panels made with LEAF technology have obtained the highest fire resistance certification in Europe, Euroclass B-s1,d0. It ensures the absence of smoke from the polyurethane's exposure to fire, guaranteeing greater safety in the event of a fire;
- greater thermal insulation: the special polymer foam used as insulation has micro-pores that are smaller in size than the cells of the insulation usually used, thus ensuring better insulation performance;
- halogen-free components: these panels are halogen-free, helping to reduce CO2 emissions and setting new standards in environmental sustainability.
GreenROOF: the green roof system by Isopan
The innovative GreenROOF system designed by Isopan provides a versatile, technological solution for flat roofing gardens in both private and urban settings.
The hanging greenery rests on a flat roofing made of two-layer corrugated sandwich panels, making this an innovative and high-performance technological solution.
Among its main features are:
- thermal insulation: the insulating core made of polyurethane foam or mineral wool provides greater energy savings and a general bioclimatic improvement;
- solution to cloud bursts, thanks to its ability to retain up to 80%-90% of rainfall and release 90% of excess water;
- waterproofing, guaranteed by an outer sheet covered with a special protective and waterproof film, in synthetic roofing or tpo;
- combination with Isodeck PVSteel, on which the GreenROOF system is installed.
These are high-performance polyurethane sandwich roofing panels with a corrugated profile and bituminous cardboard backing;
- intensive and extensive configuration: this green roof system is suitable for both small and medium-sized surfaces as well as for larger areas, with a thickness of between 10 cm and 25 cm, allowing the cultivation of both a grass covering and plants, vegetables and small trees; creating excellent insulation with low maintenance requirements.
This system also enhances the building architecturally as well as technologically.
Reasons why it is more energy efficient with a low environmental impact, as attested by the Declare label.
