Environmentally friendly construction - Adhesives and sealants for BREEAM Outstanding

But building according to this certification is intensive. Really all the materials used must be environmentally friendly. Even the glue used to set the tiles.

Sopro Netherlands specializes in the production of adhesives and has a high demand for adhesives and sealants that meet BREEAM standards. This happens in the Netherlands, but also in Germany, where Sopro's parent company is located and where the standards are even higher and more complicated than in the Netherlands. Here just about every state has its own protocols in this area. 

High and diverse standards

"As Sopro, we wanted to offer products that meet the highest BREEAM standards," says Erik Koch, general technical manager of Sopro Netherlands. "But with this we ended up in a maze of organizations. Das Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen (DGMB) assesses products for their impact on health. Umwelt Allianz Hessen makes it mandatory to protect the environment while working and producing economically and efficiently. Ökoprofit Wiesbaden stands for roughly the same thing, but with reduction of waste, water use and operating resources. And over all then the standards for traffic movements apply, where EC1 stands for low emission and EC1 Plus for very low emission."

Extensive assortment

Now this was just a sample of the bodies that deal with environmental certification. And after the Netherlands, Sopro products expanded its field of research to countries such as Norway, Austria, Switzerland and France. "This is where our German roots surface," Koch acknowledges. "We either do something right or we don't. It is now 100% certain that all our products meet the highest BREEAM certification, BREEAM-Outstanding. In doing so, we supply an extensive range of products. In powdered adhesives complying with EC1 Plus alone, we offer 25 different adhesives, and to that we add primers, sealants and grouts. Competitors offer considerably fewer EC 1 Plus-classified products which then limits the options."

Innovative system solutions

Meanwhile, Sopro is a forerunner in products with the highest environmental certification. This has put it - as certifications play an increasing role throughout construction Europe - in a strong growth position. "We now offer innovative and professional system solutions for tile laying, screed work, stucco and leveling work, sealing work, masonry work, concrete repair, GaLa and road construction. In addition, all company processes are EN ISO 9001- and DIN EN ISO 50 001-certified."

Also beneficial to the user

"The products also offer benefits to the user," Koch concludes. "He also benefits from intelligent, low-emission recipes. They are lightweight materials that allow him to save up to 60% in quantity and 40% in weight. These are great advantages in transportation and processing. It is also important knowledge for architects, developers, contractors and tilers. Soon we will start a national campaign, visiting architects to inform them about this personally."