Europe’s No. 1 for baths, the first manufacturer of baths to be certified under the IBU Environmental Declaration in accordance with ISO 14025/ the German Quality Seal ‘Sustainable Building’ is bringing about a change of paradigm in the German construction and property industry Ahlen, March 2009. The introduction of the German Quality Seal for Sustainable Building by the Federal Ministry for Transport, Building and Urban Issues (BMVBS) and the German Association for Sustainable Building e. V., and the introduction of the first pilot certification on the occasion of the ‘BAU 2009’ trade fair, redefined the issue of sustainability, which comprises ecological, economic and socio-cultural aspects, for the whole construction and property industry as well as in the public consciousness.

In contrast to the previously rather vague labelling of buildings as “low energy house” or “CO2 neutral”, for example, the DGNB certificate opens up the possibility of the holistic balancing of construction projects from the sustainability point of view. This requires that not only the energy consumption which stems from the use of the building, but also the consumption of resources and energy during the production of the building materials, their durability, environmental and contamination effects, maintenance requirements, ability to be deconstructed, and recycling processes be considered holistically and over the whole lifecycle of the building. In order to be able to assess the sustainability of building projects in such a holistic way, the construction products used must be certified in accordance with the IBU (German Institute Construction and Environment IBU e.V.) ISO 14025 Environmental Declaration.

Kaldewei is the first European manufacturer of baths to be certified under the IBU

Kaldewei, supplier of high-quality designer products “in front of the wall”, is the first German and European company in the sanitary sector to have undergone the extensive analytical process and obtained a corresponding IBU Environmental Declaration for its products. The groundwork for the successful certification of the European market leader for baths had already been laid in the consistent application of the company’s brand and material philosophy. All baths and shower trays in Kaldewei steel enamel 3.5 millimetre are manufactured 100 per cent from natural raw materials. The German company guarantees all its baths and shower trays for 30 years, an aspect which is equally important for sustainability and cost considerations. And what’s more: Kaldewei products can be 100 % recycled at the end of their service life. This recycling process does not require the further separation of steel and enamel, so that the down-cycling required for many other materials can be avoided. Kaldewei baths and shower trays will be directly re-used as raw materials for steel production again at the end of their product life cycle.
A comparison of a Kaldewei steel enamel 3.5 millimetre bath or shower tray with an average acrylic bath again emphasises the exemplary environmental balance sheet of steel enamel. The evaluation of key characteristics such as consumption of primary energy, contribution to the greenhouse effect and acidification illustrates that, from a sustainability point of view, steel enamel has significant advantages over acrylic material.

Kaldewei: the company in brief

Kaldewei has a product range of more than 300 baths and shower trays and its designs are created by the Italian design studio Sottsass Associati in Milan, Phoenix Design in Stuttgart/Tokyo and in-house. For over 90 years, the specialist has been committed to manufacturing its high-quality bathroom products in Kaldewei steel enamel 3.5 mm. The enamelled steel is 100 % recyclable and Kaldewei’s sound environmental approach to manufacturing, packaging, shipping and disposal makes the products particularly interesting for ecological, sustainable building projects. Kaldewei baths offer the best possible bathing luxury and discerning, timeless design which is attested by 45 design awards.