Towards a circular economy: the only way forward!
The linear economy is no longer adequate for dealing with issues such as current and future shortages of raw materials, climate change, supply-chain problems and critical consumers. Instead, the circular economy is slowly but surely emerging as the only way forward, offering countless opportunities for innovation and improvement.
As crises mount in Europe and around the globe, it is essential that we develop a new economic system that will be both sustainable and resilient. Carpentier is actively contributing to this shift by creating innovative wood products that incorporate the principles of the circular economy. When developing our products, we assign top priority to sustainability and environmental responsibility, ensuring that products can be reused again and again. In recognition of these efforts, we have received the EU’s CIRCULAR Hotel-Interior certification. We have also recently begun the procedure to attain Cradle to Cradle® certification for our QuickClip® profiles for exterior cladding and our ceilings and panelling in thermo ash, thermo pine (with and without knots) and thermo oak.
Objective certification of product circularity
Some companies describe their products as circular without offering any scientific or technical basis for their claims. The EU’s new CIRCULAR Hotel-Interior certification provides clarity. To determine whether interior, furniture and textile products for the hotel sector meet certification norms, experts assess four aspects of sustainability: eco-design, eco-production, lifetime extension and waste reduction. Each of these aspects is represented by a pictogram, and each applicable pictogram is displayed on the circular passport of the product in question.
ECODESIGN
The product was designed to be circular, mainly by enabling it to be disassembled for reuse, repairable, recyclable or biodegradable.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
The manufacturer has made efforts towards circularity during the production phase. The main criteria include the materials used and their origins, production processes, and the use of renewable energy.
LIFETIME EXTENSION
The longer a product can be used, the smaller its impact on the environment, since this postpones the need to replace it by producing another product. Producers can offer features and services that extend the useful life of their products, for instance by offering reconditioned items, providing spare parts and instructions for repairs, and establishing systems for the return and appropriate disposal or recycling of products.
WASTE REDUCTION
Waste reduction entails the reuse and/or recycling of production waste, industrial symbiosis, and other strategies for monitoring and reducing waste.
Clear overview of certified products
Products with CIRCULAR Hotel-Interior certification are deemed to be circular in at least one of four aspects. An overview of all products is available at www.circularhotelinterior.com, which provides clear information and guidance for choosing circular interior solutions for the hotel sector.
Each certified product is marked with pictograms indicating its specific circular aspects, which makes it easy to understand its advantages. Architects, interior designers, hotel owners and decorators can therefore make well-informed choices for their projects. The category ‘interior design/furnishings’ includes a selection of our acoustic ceiling panels and our QuickClip® panelling for walls and ceilings. We are very proud to note that these products carry the CIRCULAR Hotel-Interior certificate for eco-design and lifetime extension.
The official launch of the new certification took place in early November at the international Equip’Hotel convention in Paris. At the same event, in cooperation with our innovation partner WOOD.BE, we also introduced our certified CIRCULAR Hotel-Interior products to representatives of the hotel sector.
