As part of Troldtekt’s Cradle to Cradle certification, our products are thoroughly analysed. All materials are defined down to 100 parts per million (ppm) and assessed for their impact on people and the environment.
The analysis is carried out in collaboration with Vugge til Vugge Danmark, the accredited assessment body under the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.
In practice, our systematic work with Cradle to Cradle means that we possess detailed knowledge of all substances contained in our products, right down to 100 ppm. We therefore know that they do not contain any substances that are harmful to humans or the environment. Healthy ingredients are necessary for the products to be reused in biological and technical cycles. And healthy cycles are crucial to realising a circular economy.
The raw materials for the manufacture of Troldtekt cement-bonded wood wool are wood from Danish forests and cement extracted from Danish mineral resources.
Troldtekt cement-bonded wood wool panels contribute to a healthy indoor climate, and qualify for the best Danish indoor climate labelling categories. In addition, Troldtekt has achieved an Allergy Friendly Product Award from Allergy UK and an M1 certificate from the Finnish Indoor Air Association as well as qualifying for the Swedish SundaHus ecolabel.
It is our objective that the goods for resale which are sold under our own Troldtekt brand must carry a Material Health Certificate. The certificate is documentation that the material health of the products has been assessed in accordance with the Cradle to Cradle standard.
In spring 2022, Troldtekt moved up two levels – from Silver to Platinum – in the material health category. This paved the way for Troldtekt cement-bonded wood wool products advancing to Gold certification. The advancement follows the implementation of new paint recipes in production.
Previously, the preservatives – biocides – used in the paint for the acoustic panels had stood in the way of achieving certification at Gold level. However, recipes have now been successfully developed that use newer and more sustainable preservation technology.
Preservatives are necessary to avoid having to discard large quantities of paint due to spoiling and frequent colour changes in production. Since our new paint facility was installed at Troldtekt in 2016, we have collected and recycled excess paint – or ‘overspray’ as it is called – from our spray booths, which has cut paint wastage by 70 per cent. Without preservatives, it would no longer be possible to re-apply overspray because the paint might then rot, potentially resulting in additional waste of approx. 200,000 litres of paint a year.
After ongoing dialogue with our paint suppliers, we have now arrived at the new recipes, which ensure that the paint has a sufficiently long shelf-life that it is possible to reuse overspray. It has required product development and extensive testing of the recipes in our production.
As the paint recipes show, we wish to strengthen the health of our materials further. However, we are taking a precautionary approach in relation to Cradle to Cradle, the UN’s Global Compact and the UN’s SDGs. This means that every so often we decide to step back from taking a particular course of action.
Due to uncertainty about documentation, we have, for example, decided not to surface-treat our acoustic panels with titanium dioxide even though this could potentially contribute to photocatalysis and possibly removing NOx particles from the air. The EU suspects titanium dioxide of being carcinogenic when inhaled, and as material health is of paramount importance for Troldtekt, we do not want to risk treating our panels in a way that may be harmful to humans or the environment. Titanium dioxide is also found, for example, in wall paint, but here the substance is inactive, and bound in the dry paint, so it does not pose any health risk.
In addition to the uncertainty about possible health risks, photocatalysis requires a lot of light to activate the titanium dioxide. Daylight does not fall on ceilings, and the client would therefore have to make significant investments in lighting to activate the photocatalysis. Finally, it would seem that ventilation and conventional airing are much better for the indoor climate.
