FAQ Sustanability

Corporate social responsibility (CSR for short) refers to the responsibility of companies towards society - in the sense of sustainable business. This comprises the three pillars of economy, ecology and social responsibility, which are described in internationally recognised references such as the ILO Declaration of Principles or the UN Global Compact.

The focus is on these key topics:

• Fair business

• Employee-orientated personnel policy

• Mindful and economical use of finite resources

• Climate and environmental protection

• Commitment on site and in the supply chain

The carbon footprint is the sum of all carbon dioxide emissions caused directly or indirectly by products.

Emission means the release of substances (solid, liquid, gaseous) into the atmosphere - from the extraction of raw materials, through production and storage, to application and disposal. In addition to carbon dioxide, other greenhouse gases are often also accounted for, usually in tonnes of CO2 equivalent (t CO2eq).

Would you like information on a carbon dioxide balance? Please contact Lucian Götz: l.goetz@sto.com

Energy resources engineering is required for producer, transport, storage, sale and disposal. This energy is called "grey energy". In addition, all production processes of the preliminary products, up to the extraction of raw materials, are also taken into account.

• All raw materials in Sto products fulfil application-relevant functions and are optimised in terms of their environmental impact.

• Sto products are manufactured in an energy and resource-efficient manner. Renewable raw materials are used when ecologically, economically and socially compatible and sensible.

• We evaluate and promote the disposal, reuse and recycling potential of our products, taking into account technological and economic feasibility.

• Sto products and systems, especially facade insulation systems, save tonnes of heating energy and thus carbon dioxide every year.

• Quality also plays a central role in sustainability: Sto products protect against extreme weather conditions. High-quality products stand for longevity and protection against external damage to buildings and thus less consumption of resources and energy.

• Sto has an ecologically oriented product portfolio of colour shades, plasters and lacquers for interiors, most of which have external environmental certification.

• Sto's concrete repair products are used to renovate road bridges, sewage treatment plants and industrial flooring. Not only is the preservation of existing substance sustainable and resource-saving, but also the protection of water bodies and floors, which can be effectively protected from leaking and seeping hazardous substances through the application of our products.

Titanium dioxide TiO2 (E 171) is an oxygen compound of the metal titanium. It is used to give products a blast white colour shade. In 2017, the Risk Assessment Committee of the European Chemicals Agency ECHA classified the fine dust form of titanium dioxide as a suspected human carcinogen.

As a result, the EU Commission defined and adopted new warning messages in October 2019.

Biocides are chemicals or microorganisms that are used to control pests such as algae. As biocides are potentially dangerous to health and the environment, an environmental risk assessment must be carried out before a product containing biocidal film protectants is authorised.

Regulation (EU) 528/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the making available on the market and use of biocidal products, or "Biocidal Products Regulation" for short, regulates the use of products containing biocidal film protectants throughout Europe.

Eco-labels are playing an increasingly important role in assessing the sustainability of building products. They provide information on the environmental friendliness of products and services. This information is based on individual, tested criteria and characteristics.

A distinction is made between three types:

• Type I ecolabels according to ISO 14024: Labels and certificates, example: The Blue Angel, natureplus, French VOC regulation, etc.

• Type II ecolabel according to ISO 14021: Self-declarations and labels of the producer, example: Sto label, sustainability data sheets (SDSs)

• Type III ecolabel in accordance with ISO 14025 or EN 15804: Environmental product declarations (EPDs), Example: IBU-EPD

Would you like more information? Please contact Saskia Ebner: s.ebner@sto.com

With building certification, buildings are assessed according to three key aspects based on predefined criteria: Ecology, economy and social aspects. The aim of these certification systems is to promote sustainable construction and make it measurable and comparable on the basis of clear criteria.

The selection of the right building products plays an important role in this. In around half of the specified criteria and standards, building products have a direct impact on the certification result and therefore on the overall performance of the building. Not only the conscious use of limited resources, but also the avoidance of high transport costs, the reduction of energy requirements and the "feel-good factor" play a major role.

DGNB = German Sustainable Building Council (Germany)
LEED = Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (USA)
BREEAM = Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (Great Britain)

Sto products themselves cannot be certified directly according to DGNB, BREEAM or LEED. However, the products indirectly influence the building to be certified. Certification systems therefore require information on the building products used in order to check whether the requirements and criteria are met. Sto uses the sustainability data sheet (SDS), the eco-label with corresponding acceptance, environmental product declarations (EPDs) and manufacturer declarations as verification.

Would you like information on building certification systems? Please contact Saskia Ebner: s.ebner@sto.com

VOC = volatile organic compounds (volatile organic compounds)

VOC is the collective term for organic, i.e. carbon-containing substances that change into the gas phase by evaporation at room temperature or higher temperatures, i.e. are volatile. Source: https://de.wikipedia.org

VOC content: given in g/l
To determine the VOC content, based on ISO 11890-2 or ISO 17895, the safety data sheets (SDSs), section 15 and sustainability data sheets (under "Ingredients in the product") are sufficient and are always carried out in accordance with Directive 2004/42/EC (Decopaint Directive), which in turn is based on ISO 11890-2.


VOC emissions: Specified in mg/m³
Indoor air measurements in a test chamber, based on the ISO 16000 standards - in particular ISO 16000-9.
All tests according to AgBB can be used to determine VOC emissions.

The importance of sustainability is constantly growing, leading to an increasing demand for sustainable building products and certification-relevant information. The SDS contains product-specific information and therefore offers an enormous advantage in terms of advice and marketing.

The NDB provides information on

• Compliance with the requirements of the DGNB, LEED and BREEAM building certification systems

• Certificates and labelling of the product

• Ingredients

• Emissions and carbon dioxide balances

• Disposal, reuse and recycling

• Sto corporate responsibility
  
  Would you like information about an SDS? Please contact Saskia Ebner: s.ebner@sto.com

The core of an EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) is the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which contains information on energy consumption as well as carbon dioxide and other emissions per unit of a product.

The aim is to provide the basis for life cycle assessments of an entire building, general environmental information and for analysing optimisation potential. There is a challenge here. EPDs are purely informative and do not evaluate a product. Many details are very general (e.g. disposal).

There are for numerous products:

• Product-specific EPDs (e.g. StoVentec Carrier Board)

• Sample EPDs, which are product group-specific and are created by the relevant association (e.g. VdL, Deutsche Bauchemie).

• EPDs from corresponding producers for merchandise/purchased products