In July, Unilin’s entire range of raw- and melamine-faced particleboard received full Cradle to Cradle Certified® Bronze v4.0 certification, claiming a first in this sector.
As a global operator, Unilin says it is acutely aware of its environmental impact – and that’s why it focuses on developing resource-sensitive solutions, from design through to implementation and beyond. Hence, the company is maximising the use of renewable and recycled materials throughout its manufacturing processes.
To this end, it is employing the Cradle to Cradle methodology and is ultimately aiming for C2C certifications for several of its products.
What is C2C Certified?
Cradle to Cradle Certified is a certification awarded to safer, more sustainable products, manufactured in accordance with circular economy principles, using six criteria: environmental policy, material health, product circularity, air quality and climate protection, water and soil management, and social justice.
With this a stragey objective, Charlotte Van Vlierberghe, Brand Manager at Unilin Panels, underlines the company’s position: “The natural progression for our One Home strategy is for Unilin to achieve C2C certification across the board. With C2C Certified, we are focusing on the durability of our products. Our previous certification already complied with all Bronze standard Material Health specifications, but this latest development takes things to the next level. In fact, our particleboard products now also meet the stringent requirements of the following areas:
• Product Circularity: designing materials to be reused or recycled with no loss of quality (e.g. the wood in our particleboard is 95% recycled).
• Clean Air & Climate Protection: promoting renewable energies and reducing harmful emissions (for example we are maximising our renewables thanks to our factories’ own biomass generators).
• Responsible Water & Soil Management: ensuring that the water supply is kept clean and soil kept healthy (as exemplified by our state-of-the-art waste water purification system at the Wielsbeke site).
• Social Responsibility: ensuring that we have a positive social impact and fair working conditions (e.g. our Zero Harm safety programme in all our factories).”
Unilin Panels’ Sustainability Manager Cristian Delaere notes: “Sustainability is a unique asset, and in the very near future, will be a vital matter, hence the importance of this certification process. Once certification has been obtained, the company has between three- to six years to take things to the next level. This time-frame ensures continuous improvement of both process and products, otherwise certification will be rendered null and void. Our purchasing, R&D, HSE and HR teams, amongst others, will be doing their utmost to ensure we upgrade our certifications.
“Going through the certification process has proved to be more important than the attainment of the certificates, as it enabled us to implement the One Home sustainability strategy at all levels of our organisation. This has tested all aspects of our products and our manufacturing processes. This process has united all participants, both internal and external, around the common theme of sustainability.
“A thorough analysis of our products was only possible through close co-operation with our suppliers. Together with our purchasing department, our suppliers were given context about our sustainability process and asked to provide extensive info on the raw materials supplied to us. Sharing this info allowed us to analyse how we as Unilin can take further steps to make our products even more sustainable.
“The great thing is that by providing Unilin with the information, suppliers themselves also gain insights into their product and some of them have meanwhile joined the C2C Certified story themselves. Unilin thus indirectly initiates sustainability awareness throughout the value chain.
This virtuous circle has now resulted in all of our products being awarded C2C Bronze v4.0 certification. The process of working towards C2C Certified certification has been a rewarding one, due to the complexity of our products, the range of materials and the manufacturing processes involved. It also constitutes a positive contribution to a circular and responsible economy.”
