BREEAM and Indoor Air Comfort Gold
Why BREEAM and Indoor Air Comfort Gold will affect your choice of adhesive
Choosing an adhesive for your business involves more than just selecting a product with the right adhesive properties. Increasing awareness of the importance of indoor air quality and environmental sustainability has brought certification schemes such as BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Assessment Method) and Indoor Air Comfort Gold sharply into focus. Many building and design projects are now aiming to meet stringent standards on air quality, which involve only using materials with low emissions of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). For companies supplying goods to these projects, choosing the right adhesive could mean the difference between winning or losing a contract.
What is BREEAM?
BREEAM is an internationally-recognised environmental assessment method for buildings and infrastructure. It uses criteria such as energy and water use, materials, waste, pollution, and health and wellbeing to evaluate the quality of a building. In particular, the health and wellbeing component will focus on the indoor environment and its impact on occupant health and comfort, including air quality, lighting, thermal comfort and acoustics. In a world where we are seeking to make the built environment healthier and more sustainable, certification schemes such as BREEAM are fast becoming a ‘must have’.
How does BREEAM assess air quality?
BREEAM places significant emphasis on air quality as part of its health and wellbeing assessment, and a key aspect is minimising pollutants. Across the board, the scheme encourages the use of materials and products that have low emissions of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and other pollutants in order to improve air quality.
What are VOCs?
We’ve written in more detail about VOCs here, but essentially VOCs are potentially harmful substances, released into the atmosphere from a range of products, including furniture and carpets, cleaning equipment and building materials such as paints, varnishes and adhesive. One particularly worrying VOC is formaldehyde, which has been linked to a range of health risks.
BREEAM and adhesives
Of course, adhesive has a wide range of applications, so it makes sense to ensure that any adhesive used, whether it is to build furniture, lay carpets or fix joinery, is a low VOC product. To achieve credits under the BREEAM scheme, products using adhesives must meet specific VOC content limits and emissions standards.
What is Indoor Air Comfort Gold?
Indoor Air Comfort Gold is a certification scheme that ensures products meet stringent indoor air quality standards. It is recognised by a number of green building programmes, including BREEAM.
A product with an Indoor Air Comfort Gold certificate has been tested and verified to emit very low levels of VOCs, making it a cleaner product and contributing to a healthier indoor environment. Essentially, having Indoor Air Comfort Gold certification prequalifies a product for inclusion in projects aspiring to meet BREEAM or similar green building criteria.
Currently, there are few one-part adhesives on the market to have met such high air quality standards – Adkwik’s Ubabond U30 was the first to do so, and remains a market leader, combining performance, ease of use and green credentials. When choosing Ubabond U30, manufacturers are also choosing the assurance of Air Comfort Gold. This is a valuable asset when competing for contracts in an increasingly environmentally conscious industry. Manufacturers will also be demonstrating their commitment to producing high-quality, cleaner products that promote better indoor air quality and overall environmental sustainability.
If you’re looking to make the switch to a cleaner, greener adhesive, call us on 01223 412373 or leave us a message on our online contact form – we’ll be happy to help.
