Why traceability is key for energy efficiency requirements

Energy efficiency is a key consideration in both new build and retrofit projects, driving demand for high performance products that deliver on sustainability, as well as safety and comfort. As a manufacturer of aluminium window, door and curtain wall systems Reynaers Aluminium is not only invested in developing energy efficient products and practices but building traceability into the process to evidence product credentials. Samantha Hill, head of marketing at Reynaers Aluminium UK, discusses how the company supports traceability and the requirement to demonstrate product performance.

Glass Times (GT): Why is traceability important?

Samantha Hill (SH): The Building Safety Act has placed a renewed emphasis on traceability across the construction sector to ensure a ‘Golden Thread’ of information. All project stakeholders through to the building owners should now track exactly what has been installed, how it was fitted, and what performance standards it meets from the earliest stages of a project and throughout the building’s lifespan.

This transparency of information helps to keep stakeholders informed on key product and process considerations and can include energy efficiency and sustainability data.

Awareness is growing about the need for a more sustainable approach to construction and where we, as a population, can contribute to that, including through the choices we make in our homes.

A growing number of people make decisions informed by sustainability, and this will multiply as awareness increases around how our actions and choices impact the environment.

With enough awareness around how the use of energy in our homes contributes to global carbon emissions, homeowners are encouraged to factor this into the choices they make, but the direct impact needs clear communication.

Collaboration between all parties from the design stage is vital to ensure the correct products are specified and installed. Traceability systems allow stakeholders to track the entire lifecycle of products and materials, build trust and accountability, and help to evidence genuine progress towards sustainable production and regulatory compliance.

This is absolutely vital in projects that seek to attain sustainability accreditation, such as BREEAM, and manufacturers need to be able to support this, with clearly evidenced data around energy efficiency, embodied carbon and circularity.

GT: How does traceability help verify energy performance?

SH: The mantra that actions speak louder than words is never truer than in terms of demonstrating a commitment to more sustainable construction and manufacturing. There is no space for green washing where the need for change is absolute in the drive to meet net zero.

By providing transparent, verifiable records of building materials, manufacturing and performance data, energy performance claims are turned into demonstrable, evidence-backed outcomes. This promotes a more holistic view of sustainability, giving greater weight to energy efficiency, resilience to climate change, durability, affordability, recyclability, circularity, eco-design and compliance with regulation.

GT: What is Reynaers’ approach to validating sustainability?

SH: Our commitment to sustainable actions has been outlined in Reynaers’ new sustainability campaign: ‘Sustainability. From every angle’ which challenges the established view in the construction sector and spotlights the embodied carbon figure of construction materials such as aluminium.

Reynaers takes a holistic approach to sustainability and is committed to reducing Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Through careful calculation and benchmarking, Reynaers is able to demonstrate progress. Establishing a baseline in 2019, Reynaers calculated its group-level carbon footprint, providing a clear starting point to demonstrate energy efficiency improvements and set achievable targets.

Setting initial targets to reduce its carbon emissions, as part of its sustainability strategy, Reynaers saw these subsequently verified by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi). A clear, evidence-based program.

Similarly, validating product efficiency through third-party testing and certifications, environmental product declarations and product passports ensures correct specification in sustainability-led construction. Reynaers manufactures a number of systems that offer exceptional thermal efficiency in support of lower U-values for building projects, this spans across residential and commercial sectors.

Those that have achieved Passive House Certification, include: ConceptWall 50 and ConceptWall 60 curtain walling systems, as well as the MasterLine 8 and 10 range of doors and windows.

Having access to this information is essential in demonstrating products not only support performance needs of individual projects, but that these projects are compliant with sustainability standards such BREEAM and LEED.

GT: How can traceability systems and tools help build efficiency into projects?

SH: The introduction of the Golden Thread has shone a spotlight on the need for clear, up to date information, and integrated software that evolves with products and projects is a great solution to fully accommodate this.

A number of manufacturers have already taken the initiative and introduced their own tools to host and make readily-available any performance and specification data to support transparency relating to product testing and certifications.

Reynaers, for example, has launched DigiTrace, a system that facilitates a transparent, traceable data trail for every product. By making this information accessible via QR code, DigiTrace is easily updated, with a view to ensuring that data remains current and supports cross-product use, allowing specifiers, fabricators and installers to maintain transparency even when products are used as part of a wider project.

This kind of technology not only helps its partners to meet the requirements of the Building Safety Act but also embeds sustainability performance data.

GT: What is the best way forward in demonstrating sustainability?

SH: It’s clear that a joined-up, collaborative approach is the way forward in supporting sustainability in the built environment. By working together from the outset to outline goals and achieve standards, and embracing digital tools to clearly evidence this, the sector will deliver a robust, evidence-based approach that guides and upholds the standards required to demonstrate buildings are fit for the future.