Environmental protection initiatives at Armacell
Environmental Protection
Initiatives at Armacell
Environmental
protection is one of the main pillars of Armacell’s corporate philosophy. It is
an integral part of the business strategy and ranks equally with other company
objectives. The environmental guidelines oblige all Armacell employees worldwide
to behave responsibly towards the environment and conserve natural
resources.
Armacell recognized early on that a sustainable use of resources
also increases operating efficiency and productivity. The company restricts
itself to manufacturing products which, when used for the purpose for which they
are intended, pose no threat to the environment and thus fulfil not only the
technical but also the ecological requirements. In 1989, the company was
the first producer of technical insulation worldwide to abstain from using the
CFCs listed in the Montreal Protocol. To use resources as efficiently as
possible, Armacell is constantly searching for ways to reduce raw material
use, energy consumption and the waste rate. Intelligent systems are developed
for utilizing production waste which occurs, such as the recycling plant which
was put into operation at the Münster plant in 1996. On the way to environmental
standards which are valid worldwide, in the long term all locations are to be
certified in accordance with the international environmental standard ISO 14000,
many already are today. At all locations, environmental protection is to be
integrated in the business processes and linked to occupational safety,
product stewardship and corporate citizenship. Armacell has been able to
make great progress in the field of in-company environmental protection
over the past 15 years.
Since the end of the nineties, the company has
increasingly concentrated on the environmental impact of its products.
Armacell is a founder member of the European Alliance for Energy Efficiency in
Buildings (EuroACE), which was formed by the European Commission after the world
climate summit in Kyoto and promotes proposed legislation on energy saving in
buildings. In order to be able to put an exact and representative figure on the
energy-saving potential which can be realized by insulating heating and
hot-water pipes, Armacell commissioned the Centre for Sustainable Building
(Zentrum für umweltbewusstes Bauen) at the University of Kassel to carry out a
scientific study. The results are now being presented in a broad campaign.
In future, more emphasis will also be placed on the social dimension of
sustainability. Amongst Armacell employees there is a great willingness to
become involved in concerns which go beyond those of the company. At the
beginning of 2005, staff set up a relief fund for the Tsunami victims in
South-East Asia. Many employees worldwide participated in creative activities
raising 25,000 euros. The company made this amount up to 50,000 euros, which was
donated to long-term aid projects in the area. In 2005, Armacell received the
Ethics in Business Award for its outstanding commitment to environmental and
social issues. This award is presented to companies for their exemplary conduct
towards people and the environment - also known as Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR).
Armacell’s
environmental protection guidelines
Our aim is to gear all business activities to protecting and conserving
nature.
Our environmental policy is based on the following
principles:
- Manufacturing only products which represent no
hazard for the environment when they are used as they are intended by customers
and consumers.
- Supplying information on the correct storage, use
and disposal of our products.
- Conserving natural resources by using raw
materials and energy responsibly.
- Using environmentally-friendly technology in
research and production. By doing so we increase safety in the workplace and
protect the community and the environment.
- Avoiding and reducing waste; using recycling and
environmentally-friendly disposal systems.
- Endangering soil, air and water as little as
possible
- Preparing for potential dangerous situations in
order to protect both people and the environment.
Historical overview
of environmental activities
1991
Armstrong commits itself publicly to environmental protection.
Armstrong becomes an active member of ‘future e.V.’, a business initiative
for in-company environmental protection.
1992
First
lifecycle assessment in cooperation with the Institute for Ecological Economic
Research Berlin (IÖW) begins. Introduction of an annual waste balance sheet and
a waste management concept at the Münster plant.
1993
Regular
internal environmental audit is established. At three-year intervals, every
production facility worldwide is audited in accordance with the environmental
legislation of the country in which it is located. In addition to this,
recommendations are made which go above and beyond the legislation.
1994
An Environmental Steering Team is set up to examine the environmental
soundness of all business processes from the purchase of raw materials to the
transportation of goods.
1995
Introduction of an
environmental management system at the company headquarters in
Münster.
1996
Procedure for assessing raw materials from an ecological
point of view is established.
The company builds its own recycling
plant for scrap resulting from the production of Armaflex.
1997
Armstrong Insulation Products becomes a founder member of EuroACE,
the European alliance for energy efficiency in buildings, which was formed by
the European Commission after the world climate summit in Kyoto.
The
Environmental Management System at Armstrong Insulation Products in Münster is
one of the first in the Münsterland to receive the EMAS
certificate.
1998
The Friesenhofen-Leutkirch location is validated in
accordance with EMAS.
1999
The validation of the
insulation plant in Zeulenroda means that all German plants carry the European
ecological stamp of quality in accordance with the EMAS
regulation.
2000
- The insulation products division of Armstrong
World Industries is sold and begins to do business under the name Armacell. The
new company continues to stand for everything which typified Armstrong
Insulation Products and commits itself publicly to environmental
protection.
- Armacell Iberia is the first Spanish company in
this line of business to stop using HCFCs in the manufacture of its polyethylene
products. The propellant is replaced by environment-friendly Isobutan.
2001
Armacell commissions the Centre for Sustainable Building Zentrum für
umweltbewusstes Bauen) at the University of Kassel, Germany, to carry out a
scientific study on the potential for energy savings by insulating heating and
hot-water pipes with Armaflex (CO2-Study).
2003
- An integrated management system is established:
quality management and environmental protection are brought together in one
system and harmonized: certification of Armacell GmbH in accordance with EN 9001
and EN 14001.
- The Centre for Sustainable Building presents the
final report of the CO2-study.
2004
Armacell GmbH is revalidated in accordance with EMAS II.
Under the new version of the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, the company is no
longer validated on a locational but on an organizational basis.
2005
- Armacell receives the Ethics in Business Award for
its exceptional commitment to the environment and social issues.
- A Tsunami relief fund is set up: donations of
50,000 euros benefit long-term humanitarian and ecological projects in the
area.
- The Chinese Panyu location is certified according
to ISO 14001. This makes Armacell the first, and as yet the only, manufacturer
of flexible technical insulation materials in China to have gained the
environmental certificate.
2006
Armacell begins a broad
information campaign on the potential for savings by insulating hot pipes in
buildings (EPBD-campaign).
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Armacell Armaflex Pipe Insulation
