Coming full circle!

Based on the circular building idea, manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to further reduce raw materials and make production processes more sustainable. A good development, according to Patrick van Haaften, Marketing Manager at FALK Bouwsystemen, although this does not solve the problems after the usage phase. CradleCore® changes this.

"Whereas the steel plates of sandwich panels are melted down in blast furnaces and reintroduced into the chain as raw materials, in most cases the PIR insulation core ends up in landfills, where the material remains endlessly. A worrying development, which we have overcome in cooperation with our sister company InSus. Based on the philosophy that our earth is not an inexhaustible source of raw materials, we have invested heavily in making our insulation core circular. And with success, because last year we introduced our first sandwich panel with 100% recyclable PIR insulation core. The panel can be ordered under the name CradleCore® and was developed without compromising on technical quality. With a core thickness of 160 mm, a fire rating EI60 can even be achieved!"

Materials Passport

By mid-February, FALK hopes to have the CradleCore® material passport ready. "Then not only will the performance of our insulation core be confirmed by an independent, certified platform, but architects and end users will also be able to compare apples to apples," said Van Haaften. The material passport can be applied for through FALK and will be included in the National Environmental Database. "CradleCore® features a very low shadow price, which is some 40% lower than currently common sandwich panels. This makes a very favorable Environmental Performance of Buildings (MPG) possible as well as giving building owners a good chance to receive, for example, the MIAVamil G6100 or D6101 subsidies."

Substantiated provenance of materials

To make maximum impact, it is important that all of FALK's suppliers embrace the vision of sustainability and circularity, Van Haaften emphasizes. "We are only one part of the production chain, which is why we test all our suppliers on the origin of their materials."

End-of-life take-back guarantee 

By now, many industrial halls have already been fitted with the CradleCore® panels. "Commissioned by the building owners themselves or to the architect's design, but always from an intrinsic motivation," Van Haaften concludes. "All CradleCore® panels come with an end-of-life take-back or buy-back guarantee."