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.
The paint we use for our painted Troldtekt acoustic panels have previously contained small amounts of the anti-rot biocide. It is the paint with biocide that has prevented us from qualifying for Cradle to Cradle’s gold level.
Biocide has been necessary to avoid having to discard large quantities of paint due to its short shelf-life and continuous colour changes in our production. Since we installed a new, fully automatic painting facility in 2016, we have also been able to collect and reuse excess paint (overspray) effectively, which has reduced our waste of paint by 70 per cent. If we removed biocide from the previous recipe, we would no longer be able to reuse overspray – and this would increase the amount of waste of paint by an estimated 200,000 litres a year.
However, after a lengthy dialogue with our paint suppliers, we have now developed a new and durable biocide-free paint recipe, and we will supplement our range with plant-based paint. Based on this, we expect that the Troldtekt products will qualify for Cradle to Cradle’s gold level during H2 2021.
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.
