The construction industry is constantly changing, so DEKO has always worked with its finger on the pulse to ensure that our products live up to the demands and expectations of the times. Through multiple initiatives over a number of years, we have maintained particular focus on optimising our products' CO2 footprint; now we can boast excellent green figures for the entire product life cycle in our new EPD from May 2023.

The same robust strength – with a marked decrease in CO2 emissions

At DEKO, we constantly develop and rethink the construction of our products in the pursuit of an even lower carbon footprint without compromising aesthetics and functionality. This process has encompassed a change of supplier and the minimisation of material use in our popular fully-glazed partitions.

"We have cut down on material consumption – among other things, we use less aluminium in the partition frames – in such a way that we have managed to maintain strength. According to the figures, this alone has made a huge difference to our CO2 emissions,” says Simon S. B. Jensen, Sustainability & Product Development Manager at DEKO.

”Our latest EPD from May this year, which includes all phases of a product’s life-cycle (Cradle to Grave) shows that CO2 emissions from our glazed partitions have been cut by 36 kg per m2 from 2018 to 2023. To put this in context, and for a better basis for comparison with our competitors, we previously focused on the product's carbon footprint from production alone (Cradle to Gate). With the new building regulations, however, we now have a greater focus on the entire life cycle. This also helps reveal a big difference, as material re-use has increased considerably in the new product revisions,” he says.

Access DEKO’s newest EPD at www.epddanmark.dk when published at the end of July 2023.

Life cycle and recycling potential

In collaboration with our new supplier, we have implemented a strategy to utilise and recycle the materials as far as possible.

”We have collaborated with our supplier to return scrapped aluminium profiles for remelting and fabrication into new, strong profiles," says Simon S. B. Jensen, adding that the recycling method also applies when making the profiles.

"Our suppliers’ fabrication of aluminium profiles involves the production of swarf and other waste material, which they collect and remelt into raw aluminium, recycling it instead of letting it go to waste."

Only the beginning

At DEKO, we are delighted that we can now boast another EPD that contributes positively to our customers' climate calculations and, ultimately, the environment. That said, it is but one step of many towards a more sustainable future.

"We are happy with the results, and it shows that you can make a difference with small but important adjustments. But it’s only the beginning. Sustainable development requires constantly considering and working on how to do things even better. And that’s what we’ll continue to do,” he says.