Fire safety supports circular design

A fire safety consultant covers a broad range of projects and topics and the opportunities to apply Circular Economy might seem limited at first sight; however, nothing could be further from the truth. Our sustainable approach helps our clients to comply with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).

The field of sustainability

The United Nations (UN) has developed 17 sustainable development goals (SDG’s). These goals cover a broad range of subjects and aim to guide SDG users towards more sustainable systems. Within Bilfinger Tebodin, we measure our impact according the SDG's. One of the goals, which fits our philosophy, is the 12th SDG: ‘’sustainable production and consumption’’; we always strive to work towards a more sustainable future.

Circular economy (CE) is a model, specifically designed to connect the output waste stream to the input material stream, mainly by recycling or reusing waste materials. CE contributes to the lowering of overconsumption, design out, waste streams and regenerate ecosystems. CE directly contributes to the 12th SDG, which makes it an interesting model to utilize in the industry.

Opportunities in the Circular Economy

The easiest opportunity to apply CE lies quite possibly within the used materials such as building insulation. When buildings are fireproofed, various certified materials are used. However, little attention is given to the reusability and recyclability of said materials. At Bilfinger Tebodin, we broaden our engineering scope, look beyond the fire-safety issue, and integrate fire-safety with sustainability. This allows for multidisciplinary solutions, which, for example allow for the use of an insulating material that is both flame retardant and recyclable.

A second application of CE within the fire safety area might seem less obvious. This application relates mostly to the ‘’reusing’’ of materials to prevent the creation of waste streams. All fireproofing materials have to be certified according to norms and legislations. When legislations change, certain material are rendered obsolete. It is a fire safety consultant’s first priority to ensure safety. However, just because a specific legislation changed, does not automatically lead to the expiration of used materials. Strong arguments can be made that existing materials, within a certain scenario, are perfectly fine and do not require replacement but at most a minor alteration. Not having to replace materials is economically beneficial for a client but also contributes to CE since the materials are ‘’reused’’, preventing unnecessary waste by closing the cycle preemptively.

Incorporating the SDG’s and CE into our projects whilst keeping the best interest of our clients at heart is what gives us the edge to bring you the best sustainable engineering solutions.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about what we can do for you, please do not hesitate to get in touch via bert.westendorp*Please remove text between *, this is a spam protection*@bilfingercom or floris.kersten*Please remove text between *, this is a spam protection*@bilfinger.com.

Аuthor: Floris Kersten

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