'Our ambition is to close the steel roof and wall sheeting supply chain'

Circular construction is a popular topic among architects, developers and contractor parties. Hardeman | van Harten is happy to go along with this. In its projects, for example, the supplier and assembly party of steel roof and wall cladding uses special containers in which waste is strictly separated for (its own) reuse. Old sandwich panels are recycled as much as possible. Moreover, a buy-back guarantee has recently been issued for new sandwich panels, which also guarantees sustainable reuse in the future. 

"In industrial projects, sandwich roof and wall claddings are often chosen, which are composed of two profiled steel plates and a plastic rigid foam (PIR) insulation core," says Martijn Jansen on behalf of Hardeman | van Harten. "The recycling of these panels is now happening to some extent. After dismantling the sandwich panels, for example, steel plates and insulation core are separated, after which the steel plates are melted in blast furnaces and reintroduced into the chain as raw materials. Where possible, the PIR foam is ground up for use in third-party products. However, there is limited demand for this."

100% recyclable PIR insulation core

To improve and increase the circularity of insulation core, Hardeman | van Harten and panel manufacturer FALK Bouwsystemen recently participated in a new venture: InSus. Together, they have developed a new, special technique that allows the insulation foam to be returned to its original raw materials (polyol and MDI) and thus be used again and for the same application. "The InSus plant will be commissioned by the end of next year," Jansen says. "In the meantime, Hardeman | van Harten is already collecting sandwich panels from renovation and demolition projects so that ample recycling material will soon be available."

Repurchase guarantee

The projects being delivered now also come with a buy-back guarantee. "At the end of the building life Hardeman | van Harten and FALK Bouwsystemen are happy to buy back the sandwich panels, thus creating a closed production chain. Moreover, this assures clients of a certain residual value of their building," Jansen said. "A first project implemented with this buy-back guarantee is the new building for publishing house DAVO in Deventer. For this new and 100% circular commercial building, Hardeman | van Harten is supplying and installing FALK's steel roofing and steel facade cladding."