CHECKLIST

Sustainable building

with tiles by Villeroy & Boch

Sustainable tiles

Tiles by Villeroy & Boch meet every aspect of the international parameters required for “sustainable building”. All over the world, our tiles feature in architectural projects that are classified by the German DGNB, the American LEED and the British BREEAM.

Resource-saving production

The closed manufacturing processes that include both traditional and state-of-the-art technologies, such as digital print, meet the very highest environmental standards. All raw materials used in the ceramic mass, glazes and pastes, as well as for packaging the tiles, are evaluated according to strict ecological principles.

 

The entire manufacturing process avoids emissions into the water, soil and air that would have a detrimental effect on the environment. Heat recovery and continuous energy efficiency measures, as well as environmentally aware waste management, are testimony to the environmental compatibility of our production. At least 85% of the waste produced is recycled. The waste water generated by the manufacturing process and the solids it contains are almost entirely re-used. Thanks to heat recovery, CO2-emissions can be reduced by about 3000 tons per year.

Continous quality control

Not only manufacturing considerations but also the lasting quality of the designs of our tiles earn them the “sustainable building” accolade at international level. Both manufacture and the products themselves are continuously assessed in accordance with the latest independent system and product certifications.

ECOLOGICAL, ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PRODUCTION

V&B Fliesen GmbH has been awarded the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) label by the IBU (Institut für Bauen und Umwelt e.V.). The Environmental Product Declaration provides relevant, verifiable and comparable information on the environmental impact of products. This certification allows architects and planners to utilise our products in all properties that have been certified as satisfying the BREEAM, LEED, DGNB or other comparble international requirements for sustainable building.The IBU, as the administrator of the German EPD program, is part of the ECO PLATFORM, through which it works to promote the harmonisation of national EPD programmes at the European level.


Certifications – DIN EN ISO 9001 and DIN EN ISO 14001

The DIN EN ISO 9001 quality management system has been documenting the ongoing optimisation of work processes throughout the company since 1995. Based on the plan-do-check-act cycle and ongoing improvement in environmental performance, DIN EN ISO 14001 specifies the main requirements for identification, monitoring and supervision of direct and indirect environmental aspects in the company. All certifications are carried out by Bureau Veritas.


EMAS-Validation

V&B Fliesen GmbH was the first German tile manufacturer to participate in the EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme), currently the strictest test system for environmental criteria, at Merzig and La Ferté-Gaucher. It calls for a continuous, performance-oriented and regularly measurable optimisation process in which employees must also be involved. In 2016, Villeroy & Boch was certified for another three years by an external environmental auditor.


CE mark

The CE mark indicates that the product complies with the requirements of the corresponding EU directive – in particular with regard to health protection and the safety of users and consumers – and may thus be freely circulated on the Community market. At https://pro.villeroy-boch.com/index.php?id=7175&L=17&C=us&no_cache=1 you will find information on compliance with requirements for the CE mark by porcelain stoneware, glazed vitreous and nonvitreous products from Villeroy & Boch Tiles.


DECLARATION OF PERFORMANCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS REGULATION [BAUPVO] 305/2011 (EU) DATED 9 MARCH 2011

The Declaration of Performance specifies the characteristics that are applicable in accordance with the product standard DIN EN 14411 for which our compliance is obligatory. In our company this applies to the following product groups: Porcelain stoneware (Group BIa), Vitreous stoneware (Group BIb), Nonvitreous stoneware (Group BIII). This can be viewed and downloaded from our homepage at https://pro.villeroy-boch.com/index.php?id=1109&L=17&C=us&no_cache=1.