Nachhaltigkeit | Formica Group

We use the cradle-to-gate scope for our on-site Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), because we focus on the stages that are under our control and that we can influence. We are able to improve our processes to make them more efficient and we are continuously working towards using less impactful raw materials. Moreover, for the lifecycle stages that are after our factory gate, we currently don’t have enough data which requires us to make additional assumptions in terms of the disposal of our laminate sheets. Lastly, we are currently waiting on upcoming regulations and a general consensus on the topic of carbon storage benefits of long-lasting products at the end of their lifetime.

For the Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), we use cradle-to-grave scope as required by the standards. Our Sustainability declarations and certifications including product EPDs are available for review and download at www.formica.info.

Formica Group Europe’s sustainability reporting and analysis are performed in collaboration with the Sustainability Team at NEMHO, Broadview’s Center of Excellence for R&D and Sustainability. Our Chief Sustainability Officer and her team of scientists and analysts are housed at NEMHO, where they quantify the environmental impact of Broadview Material companies via LCA, and support companies to define improvement actions to reach their targets. This report marks our third Sustainability Position Paper. We are excited to share how we continue to improve our measurement process and drive progress across our business and manufacturing plants to decrease our environmental impact and achieve our 2030 carbon neutrality goal.  

LCA is a standardised approach for assessing the environmental impacts associated with a product, process, or activity by identifying and quantifying energy and materials used and wastes released to the environment across its life cycle. Depending on the goal and scope, the LCA can focus on a part of the life cycle (cradle-to-gate) or include all the life cycle stages (cradle-to-grave).

• Cradle-to-gate: Refers to a partial life cycle assessment where all inputs (raw materials and energy) and outputs (emissions and wastes) are considered from the extraction of raw materials (cradle) to the product is ready to leave the factory (gate). The use and disposal/re-use phases of a product’s life cycle are not taken into account in cradle-to-gate.
  
  
  
• Cradle-to-grave: Refers to the full life cycle assessment, from the extraction of raw materials (cradle) to the transportation, manufacturing, use, and finally disposal or re-use of the product (grave). All inputs (raw materials and energy) and outputs (emissions and wastes) are considered for all the life cycle stages.

An EPD is a standardised, third-party verified and internationally recognised document which presents the performance of a product on global warming, acidification, resource depletion and other environmental metrics. The environmental impacts presented in an EPD are typically calculated using cradle-to-grave LCA.

Formica^® Laminate Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) at formica.info

This indicator expresses how much heat greenhouse gases trap in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are a group of compounds that absorb heat. During the day the sun shines through the atmosphere, warming the earth’s surface. At night, earth’s surface cools, releasing heat back into the air. However, some of the heat gets trapped by the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the more heat stays on Earth. The main greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (which is also the most abundant greenhouse gas), methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinate gases. The global warming indicator is calculated in terms of carbon dioxide equivalents (kgCO2eq).

Primary energy is energy found in nature that has not been subjected to any conversion or transformation process (such as primary energy content in crude oil, natural gas, and biomass). Energy that is already converted will require primary energy to provide this “delivered energy” (e.g. steam, electricity or other thermal energy derived from any technical process). Primary energy demand indicates the amount of energy that a system under assessment has extracted from the natural environment.

This indicator assesses the amount of water consumed weighted by a scarcity indicator, hence accounting for regional differences in water scarcity: consuming water in Canada might have a different impact than doing it in Italy or Spain.

Non-renewable or fossil raw materials are finite resources, this means they are used faster than they can be regenerated, (e.g., it takes millions of years to regenerate petroleum) and this leads to resource depletion.

Renewable or biobased raw materials are infinite resources that can be regenerated quickly. For example, after cutting down a tree to make paper, you can plant a new one directly. Thus, biobased materials can be used repeatedly without causing resource depletion. Preventing resource depletion is one of the main benefits of using biobased materials. Another benefit of biobased materials compared to fossil materials is the lower carbon footprint. This is because biobased materials capture and store CO2 from the atmosphere during growth and continue storing it after being harvested. Once incinerated or landfilled, the CO2 stored is released back into the atmosphere.

Circular products are designed according to the principles of the circular economy, i.e., to eliminate waste, keep materials in use, and regenerate natural systems. A circular product may embody one or more of these principles, e.g., a product designed for easy repair will keep materials in use for longer and reduce waste. The central aim of a circular economy is to maintain the function and value of products, components and materials at the highest possible level and to extend the lifespan of such products. Thus, durability is a key point of circularity.

A durable product is a product that has a long lifespan and therefore limits the need for replacement. The longer the product lasts, the longer the period of time to spread the environmental impact associated with the production of raw materials and the manufacturing process. Also, by needing fewer replacements, long-lasting products entail less use of resources, lower emissions of pollutants and a smaller amount of waste than short-lifespan goods.

Products become carbon neutral when their carbon emissions are calculated and compensated via carbon offsetting projects. In practice, any emissions associated with the product must be offset by an emission reduction elsewhere. Our first priority is to reduce carbon emissions, and then to balance out the remaining emissions, that are hard to abate, by carbon offsetting.

The term carbon offset broadly refers to a reduction or removal of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions in order to compensate for emissions that occur elsewhere. A company can, for example, purchase what is called carbon offset credits that can be used to compensate for their own emissions. One credit represents the emission reduction of one metric ton of CO2 or an equivalent amount of other greenhouse gases. The purchase of carbon offset credits helps finance and support projects that capture or reduce CO2 (or other GHGs) emissions.