ARCHITECTURAL IRONMONGERY
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Although sustainable construction projects may incur short-term , budgetstretching costs , the potential ROI associated with better-quality products is also much greater over the full building lifecycle . By removing the inevitability of sourcing substitute products on multiple occasions throughout a building ’ s lifecycle , costs can be kept to a minimum post project completion . As such , decision makers are urged to adopt the use of optimised door hardware at the initial design stages - ensuring products are correctly specified and fit to last from the moment a project ’ s doors open .
Tracing footprints
In 2022 , research conducted by Allegion UK into the impact of fire doors in education and healthcare sectors revealed sustainability and product traceability to be important to 78 % of decision makers in education settings and 50 % of decision makers in healthcare settings respectively .
Today , more than ever , higher standards are expected throughout the entirety of construction projects as stakeholders continue to place personal value on sustainability , product traceability and transparency . In recognition of this , manufacturers can choose to enrol in programmes that focus on sustainability and product credentials , further assisting decision makers throughout the product selection process by offering transparent and independently verified information .
The Environmental Product Declaration ( EPD ) programme for example , is a complete mapping of a product ’ s environmental footprint and has become a standardised way for manufacturers to communicate the environmental impact associated with a product . For an EPD to be reported , products are subject to a full Life Cycle Assessment ( LCA ) and must meet Product Category Rules ( PCR ) in the process , where upon completion , they are declared as acceptable in building rating schemes such as BREEAM .
As such , EPDs have become a signal of intent from manufacturers , highlighting their commitment to measuring and reducing the environmental impact of a
door hardware product , and alongside environmental management standards such as ISO 14001 , EPDs are becoming an expected standard for hardware products .
A combined effort is needed if the industry is to meet its full environmental responsibilities . Sustainable door hardware is only one piece of the puzzle . Yet , with several value points to offer , decision makers must be willing to look past cost barriers where possible and choose to adopt environmentally responsible door hardware products as a long-term investment for construction and our planet .
How Allegion UK is Driving Change
Allegion UK is committed to supporting sustainability in construction . We are proud to be helping create a more transparent and sustainable global industry by proactively participating in the EPD programme , with full EPD documentation available for download on Briton products , based on ISO 14025 and EN 15804 environmental declarations , from the Allegion and Briton websites .
We continue to focus on making regular improvements in sustainability management systems , enhancing product life cycles through increased hardware durability , reducing natural resource usage and improving the recycling and reuse of materials , all in a bid to help minimise our environmental impact as a manufacturer .
www . allegion . co . uk
Sources : https :// www . briton . co . uk / content / dam / briton / downloads / M2531 % 20- % 20Healthcare % 20Guide % 20FINAL . pdf | https :// www . environdec . com / home https :// ecochain . com / knowledge / life-cycle-assessment-lca-guide / | https :// www . constructionleadershipcouncil . co . uk / news / code-for-construction-product-information-ccpi-published / https :// www . environdec . com / product-category-rules-pcr0 / product-category-rules-pcr | https :// www . iso . org / standard / 38131 . html | https :// www . iso . org / standard / 60857 . html
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JULY 2023
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