Troldtekt’s product life cycle

Materials, manufacture, production, transport, use and recycling. Throughout the entire product life cycle – from cradle to cradle – Troldtekt focuses on minimising the environmental impact of its products, and on optimising resource consumption and processes so that the products add value. This is the line of thought in the product life cycle which underpins Troldtekt’s Cradle to Cradle business strategy.

We have been manufacturing Troldtekt cement-bonded wood wool at our factory in Troldhede since 1935. Production takes place at modern facilities in a closed system without any wastewater discharge. Approximately 95 per cent of the energy consumed for heating the drying oven is sourced from CO2-neutral wood fuels in the form of bark and wood, including waste products from the production of Troldtekt acoustic panels. Troldtekt is a DONG Energy climate partner, with all electricity used for the production of Troldtekt panels deriving from wind power from the Anholt offshore wind farm. The environmental impact from the production of Troldtekt panels is mapped out in our Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which has been prepared by the Danish Technological Institute in line with the new EN 15084 European standard.

Troldtekt cement-bonded wood wool is made of 100 per cent natural materials: wood and cement. We use Norway spruce from Denmark, which is PEFC^TM or FSC-certified. Both certification schemes ensure that the wood comes from responsibly managed forests. The production of Troldtekt panels uses only cement from Aalborg Portland, which extracts the raw materials from the Danish subsoil with the least possible environmental impact.

Chalk and sand are the key raw materials used to make Portland cement. The chalk is extracted near Hals Barre off the coast near Aalborg, and the sand from the channel near Løgstør, where the sand dredging helps to keep the Limfjorden channels navigable. Aalborg Portland is certified according to the ISO 14001 environmental management system and the European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). Aalborg Portland has twice been nominated for the European Commission’s prestigious EMAS Award.

As one of the first manufacturers of construction materials in Denmark, Troldtekt A/S has signed a climate partnership agreement with DONG Energy. In doing so, Troldtekt is committing to ensuring that 50 per cent of the company’s electricity consumption in 2015 comes from renewable energy such as wind power. The goal is stable energy supplies with zero CO2 emissions.

Facts about wind power

When a company signs a climate partnership agreement in which it states that wind power is the energy source, the company is buying a guarantee that DONG Energy produces electricity at one of their certified wind farms corresponding to its consumption. The guarantee is obtained through RECS (Renewable Energy Certificate System) certificates.

Cradle to Cradle

Troldtekt acoustic panels are Cradle to Cradle-certified in the silver category according to the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ standard’s latest version 3.1. The certification covers the full product portfolio of Troldtekt acoustic panels in natural wood, natural grey and painted in the standard colours white 101, grey 202, charcoal grey 208 and black 207. The silver certification also covers the non-combustible Troldtekt A2 panels and Troldtekt agro panels.

The certification has been granted because, among other things, the panels contain no harmful substances and can therefore be composted and returned to nature as soil conditioner.

In August 2012, Troldtekt achieved the first Cradle to Cradle silver certification for its ‘natural’ product series, and since the Cradle to Cradle re-certification in August 2013, the range of certified products has been expanded to also include the painted acoustic panels.

In essence, the Cradle to Cradle concept is based on three principles:
– Waste equals food: that everything is a resource for something else
– Use of solar energy: that production is based on renewable energy
– Celebrate diversity: that diversity is valuable

Recycling

Troldtekt cement-bonded wood wool panels can be composted and returned to nature as a soil conditioner. The cement in Troldtekt’s acoustic panels boosts oxygen levels during the composting process, while the wood adds organic material to the compost.

Production waste from our factory in Troldhede is delivered to HedeDanmark a/s, which receives, treats and refines waste products to make soil conditioners. In this way, carbon and nutrients are recirculated to agricultural land and forestry operations. The quality of the compost is regularly analysed and checked.

As part of our Cradle to Cradle business strategy at Troldtekt A/S, we have established a take-back scheme which is being rolled out in several stages. The take-back scheme will ensure that construction waste and demolition waste are not disposed of, but are instead processed and reused to provide the highest possible value.

Construction waste from building sites

The first stage of the scheme involves using construction waste from building sites in Denmark, and the scheme was established and implemented at the end of 2015. The waste at building sites comprises offcuts and wastage, and as the materials are well-defined via the Cradle to Cradle certification, construction waste – like production waste – can be returned to nature as soil conditioner.

In Denmark, we have signed an agreement with HedeDanmark, which can receive Troldtekt construction waste almost everywhere in Denmark providing the waste has been sorted at source.

We are working to find similar business partners on selected European markets.

Take-back service agreements

The first stage of the take-back scheme also includes service agreements which Troldtekt is offering from 2016 in connection with project deliveries. The service agreement obliges Troldtekt to take back the old acoustic panels when a customer purchases new Troldtekt acoustic panels. However, this assumes that the user does not surface treat or in any other way contaminate the Troldtekt acoustic panels during use.

So far, the service agreements are only being offered on the Danish market.

Demolition waste as raw material in new cement

The second stage of the scheme involves making use of demolition waste (end-of-life). Troldtekt cement-bonded wood wool lasts for a long time (usually 50-70 years), and at the moment used acoustic panels cannot be returned safely to nature as it is not possible to know whether the panels have been surface treated or have absorbed contaminants from the surroundings during use.

Cement-bonded wood wool demolition waste can instead be recirculated in the production process as a raw material in new cement. Cement manufacture is a thermal process which renders any surface treatment harmless. The wood content of the cement-bonded wood wool panels contributes to the combustion process (energy), while the cement component becomes a raw material in new cement.

Together with Aalborg Portland, demolition firms and local authorities, we are working to offer this solution in Denmark from 2018 or 2019. The scheme will involve the collection of cement-bonded wood wool waste from waste recycling stations, and the collection of cement-bonded wood wool waste from building sites.

We are working on finding business partners on selected European markets.

Reuse holds potential

Troldtekt does not facilitate the reuse of used acoustic panels, but the panels are very sturdy and are often installed with screws which makes uninstalling them very straightforward, and there is considerable potential for reusing them.

Here you will find an overview about Troldtekt products.