How can we ensure that sustainability does not remain just a green talking point, but becomes a real working tool that benefits our planet?
The benefit to the planet is of utmost importance, considering that construction and infrastructure account for nearly 40% of global CO₂ emissions. This can be reduced, among other things, through the right choice of materials and the use of recyclable resources.
Documentation is Key
At DAMPA, documentation is the cornerstone of the company’s sustainable knowledge journey, which has particularly gained momentum in recent years. Managing Director Michael Nykjær shared this in a recent press release under the headline “Sustainability Barometer”:
“We have been working with sustainability for many years. Especially in recent years, we have raised our focus on sustainability to the point where it has now become a central part of our core business. This involves documenting sustainability in our production, products, and overall delivery, while also making it understandable for our customers, for example, through lifetime calculations, environmental declarations, etc.”
“To ensure that sustainable words carry weight and that sustainable actions are genuinely taken, it is crucial to think in terms of documentation. At DAMPA, this is done, for example, through Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which describe the lifespan of products, and mean that the company’s design ceilings contribute to certified buildings across the country.”
The company has three EPDs for steel, aluminium, and climate ceilings, certified by the industry organisation TAIM (Verband industrieller Metalldeckenhersteller). This means that the entire production in the building sector is covered by an environmental declaration.
At DAMPA, everything is source-separated and recycled, from soda cans in the canteen to the fine raw material plugs left over from the perforation process.
Sustainable Material Choice
DAMPA’s core product is metal, a circular material that can be reused again and again.
Earlier this year, Environmental and Quality Manager Helle Pleidrup told Byggeri og Arkitektur:
“The investment in metal ceilings may be high, but steel and aluminium are almost 100% recyclable materials. Our ceilings have a very long lifespan. They can easily remain in place for 50-80 years, they have highly efficient temperature regulation, and they can theoretically be taken down and installed elsewhere, such as in an office or hospital.” This means resources are saved and CO₂ emissions are reduced, both in the production phase and when thinking long-term, sustainably, and in terms of total economy. “The crucial thing is to always have the documentation, comply with legislation, and remain self-critical in an ongoing process around sustainability,” Helle concluded in the interview.