Cradle to Cradle Certified®

The heroal - Johann Henkenjohann GmbH & Co. KG has set itself the task of making a holistic contribution to a sustainable future. Important components of this include social responsibility, environmental protection and the development and manufacture of recyclable systems. With the Cradle to Cradle Certified® product certification at the performance level Silver, the company receives internationally recognized proof of the use of environmentally friendly, healthy and recyclable materials in its aluminum system solutions.

heroal receives international certification for sustainable, recyclable products

heroal aluminum system solutions such as window, door or curtain wall systems are characteristic of the building envelope and of sustainable construction methods. Due to their excellent service life, they remain in a building for decades until they are finally recycled with minimal loss of quality, broken down into their components and inserted into the material cycle to make new products from the materials. A certification according to Cradle to Cradle Certified^® certifies the sustainability of products holistically throughout the product life cycle. Among other things, the internationally recognized certification takes into account the safe and potentially endless circulation of materials in cycles and serves as a verification document in many Green Building Standards such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) or WELL (WELL Building Standard). Meanwhile, 36 systems from heroal from the sectors of windows, doors, curtain walls, lift-slide doors and fire safety have been awarded with the certification.

The Cradle to Cradle Certified^® heroal's product standard and results

The Cradle to Cradle Certified^® product standard evaluates materials and production processes based on five categories. Certification is awarded by the independent Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. Four results can be achieved, from bronze to platinum.

To evaluate the materials used, the recyclability of the products is considered on the one hand. Since heroal systems have a high recycling potential due to their recyclability, their high proportion of secondary raw materials and their traceability, heroal achieved gold in this category.

In addition, the material health of the components used is evaluated to ensure safety for people and nature. Consideration is given not only to the product itself, but to the entire supply chain. heroal achieved Silver (for window, door, curtain wall, sliding, lift/slide door systems) and Bronze (for fire-resistant doors/ curtain wall systems) in this category. heroal has set itself the goal of achieving its achieved Cradle to Cradle Certified^®-level continuously. For example, the company, together with its coating powder suppliers, is developing a powder for powder coating systems that ideally can be returned to the material cycle and with which a higher level of realization can be achieved in the future.

As part of the certification, the processes of manufacturing heroal systems are also evaluated. Regarding the use of renewable energy sources, heroal again achieves Gold, as the company uses its own block heating plant in the production of its products, for example, as well as electricity from 100% hydropower. The company offsets unavoidable emissions with emission certificates, which offset the amount of emissions produced by supporting internationally recognized climate protection projects. For example, there is a partnership with ClimatePartner, which, among other things, supports the Zambezi REDD+ forest protection project in Zambia. It promotes the reduction of degradation and deforestation and the preservation of biodiversity by supporting local communities by improving local living conditions, for example through better access to education and medicine or the creation of employment opportunities.

But responsible water management is also part of the five categories to be evaluated. Here heroal achieves Silver. Treatment of the water required in production is already exemplary at heroal thanks to an in-house water treatment system. However, chemicals are currently used in the pretreatment of the aluminum profiles, leading to the Silver rating. Here, too, the company aims to improve the process to achieve at least Gold at the next certification assessment in two years.

Lastly, the Cradle to Cradle Certified^®-product standard also includes compliance with social standards to protect human dignity and the integrity of natural systems. In addition to compliance within the company itself, the supply chain is also considered. Heroal achieves Gold in this regard as well.

Overall, heroal achieves the Silver level of Cradle to Cradle Certified^® and is thus one of the leading companies in the industry. Michael Heidenfelder, head of de-velopment of window, door and curtain wall systems, explains the importance of the certification for the company: "We have a great responsibility towards current and future generations and see the certification as an inspiration to become even better. We are constantly looking for new ways to continuously optimize our system solutions with respect to the footprint they leave during production and de-cennial use. In doing so, we focus not only on individual factors such as Co₂-emissions, but we look at our products holistically - exactly as the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute does. This is how we make an active contribution to sustainable construction.'

For more information, visit www.heroal.nl.