Tilmann Kramolisch from natureplus explains why their eco label was established, how materials and products are assessed, and what it means to use a natureplus certified product on your project.

Interview with Tilmann Kramolisch

Tilmann Kramolisch is the Managing Director at natureplus, a non profit eco label that aims to provide transparency and clarity to the consumer within the construction sector. The natureplus accreditation measures the impact of different building products on the environment and human health, to ensure that any product with a natureplus label is certified as healthy and sustainable. In this chat, Tilmann talks us through the natureplus accreditation process as well as highlighting some key differences to be aware of in other eco labels.

Healthy building products don’t harm the natural world or human health

The natureplus eco label certifies that building products are not harmful to the environment or human health. The World Health Organisation (WTO) has classified a condition called sick building syndrome, which refers to the negative impacts that a building can have on an occupant’s health. Leading causes of sick building syndrome are damp/mould issues, poor ventilation and toxic emissions from materials or the environment. Many natural building materials are proven to tackle these issues and by reducing the use of harmful chemicals/pollutants, the environmental and human health risks are significantly lower.

Materials are not the same as building products

Tilmann makes a key distinction between building materials and building products. Materials refer to a substance that can be made into many different things depending on how it is treated or used, whereas a building product refers to one of the outputs. Tilmann uses clay as an example of a building material, that can be used to make the building products of plaster or bricks. Natureplus measure the sustainability of building products on the market.

The natureplus eco label takes a holistic approach

Tilmann explains that the natureplus certification rests on three core pillars:

• Health
• Climate protection
• Sustainable resourcing

For a product to be classed as a healthy product and receive natureplus accreditation, it must consider all three of these in all aspects of its usage and existence.

Asbestos is a good example of a product that would have failed the natureplus accreditation. It was originally considered a great material with many positive attributes. However, we now know how harmful it is to our health and when a building is deconstructed this material must be carefully removed and disposed of. This therefore negates the previous intention of saving resources as it cannot be reused. So if you begin with the three pillars approach when creating a new building product, you are mitigating any of these risks before it is widely available for use.

“When you develop a material or plant material, it’s very important that you apply all three. So healthy accommodation, climate protection and sustainable resourcing.”

A supply of cork

Golden rule: When it comes to fossil fuels, leave it in the ground

The natureplus label requires a product to be composed of at least 85% bio-based mineral materials or recycled materials. This is to exclude products that are primarily petrochemical based and ensures that the products aren’t damaging the environment or human health.

The process utilises independent testing to ensure transparency and quality

The Nature Plus Association (NPA) is the non-profit responsible for issuing the eco label. However, the assessment of the building product is carried out by a cooperative called the Nature Plus Institute (NPI). So the NPA sets the criteria and the actual testing is undertaken by the NPI.

Tilmann recommends taking a closer look at which companies are issuing eco labels and check the transparency of their process. In the case of natureplus, the assessment is carried out by an independent body to ensure transparency and quality assurance.

To test the climate impact of a product, a lifecycle assessment is performed. This looks at the A1, A2 and A3 stages of the building product, which refers to the upfront carbon emissions: from cradle to gate.

When it comes to assessing the health impacts of a building product, there are two areas that need to be assessed: what material does the product contain and what comes out of the product? For example, the Eco Institute in Cologne will test the product for substances such as formaldehyde or Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). They will then put a sample into an airtight chamber and measure the emissions from the product over a 28 day period. In order to meet the natureplus standards, the product must not exceed very strict thresholds.

Quality control is assured through the natureplus guidelines

natureplus have strict testing standards which are replicated in a variety of different laboratories and testing sites. By having set standards and a precise criteria, the results can be guaranteed to be accurate and consistent.

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) does not necessarily mean it is sustainable

Unlike the natureplus eco label, an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) just quantifies the environmental impact of a product and does not indicate whether these are positive or negative. The label in itself is therefore not a signifier of quality or sustainability and instead offers transparency. This is very much needed in the construction industry but does require further research to determine if the product is good or bad. The natureplus eco label instead tries to communicate quickly and clearly that this is a product you can trust to have a focus on health, climate protection and sustainable resourcing.

“Communication is key and what we try to do is do it as simple as possible. So this is why we do this very, very big testing that we then put into one simple statement: this product is natureplus. So it’s really to make the complex communication as simple as possible.”

The natureplus eco label is a good indicator that a company has strong core values

Manufacturers must collaborate in the accreditation process by providing key information about performance, composition, etc. It also costs around 8000 euros to receive the label as well as an annual licence fee. The natureplus eco label is therefore a really good indicator of a sustainable product as in addition to the quality assurance, you also know the company has put in time and resources to achieve it.

There are three primary types of labels out there and it is important to understand them

Eco labels like natureplus, assess a product on the level of sustainability and should provide some tangible information about its impact and composition. The second type of labels are labels run by the manufacturers themselves. These labels will highlight some information about the product sustainability but they do the criteria development and assessment internally, which reduces transparency and lessens accountability. The third type of label refers to labels such as EPDs. As mentioned earlier, these are merely a declaration and it doesn’t say that this product really is environmental friendly or not. It is key to understand what each label means as each process has a different implication on the meaning of the label.

“A very harmful product actually could get an EPD. It’s good that they do because at least they are transparent with the information, but yeah, it’s not an eco friendly product necessarily.”

The Natureplus eco label is primarily based in Central Europe

Tilmann explains that natureplus is an international label and certified products are widely available, but the majority of the products are produced within Centural European countries. Sadly, there are no UK manufacturers with a natureplus eco label yet but there is hope for the future.

Exchanging ideas is crucial in the sustainable building sector

natureplus is a European network and in the face of the climate crisis, it is crucial that we are taking inspiration from countries with innovative ideas. Tilmann explains that we can turn to the architecture of Turkey to understand how to using shading to combat overheating or to the Netherlands where an innovative, pre-produced facade that can be assembled within days has proven to be popular. By tuning into the different solutions from European countries we can pool our collective knowledge to tackle many of the challenges that face us.

“Think global, act local”

The ultimate goal is to have enough natureplus products that you could build an entire house out of them

Tilmann explains that at present natureplus has certified approximately 600 different building products, from insulation to CLT timber.

There is a list on the website of all of these products. However, if you need to gather some more information about performance, some useful databases to use along side the natureplus product list are 2050s Materials, First Planit Materials and Powerbook.

Find out more

Visit the website of natureplus

Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP)

Transcript

Download the transcript of this episode.

Please connect with us

Subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts

Like our Facebook page

Follow us on X