Sustainability of Glass
Erin Spadavecchia, Program Manager for Sustainable Building Solutions at ASSA ABLOY Door Security Solutions, is responsible for supporting building products and solutions that deliver energy efficiency and sustainability for the commercial and institutional construction industry.
In this interview, Erin goes into more detail about the sustainability of glass, and how ASSA ABLOY plans to reduce their carbon footprint moving forward.
Daylighting Benefits
Q. What are some of the benefits of daylighting? How does glass improve productivity and quality of life?
Daylighting is the process of using natural light in a building, rather than relying solely on artificial lighting. It is not only a more environmentally-friendly option, but it also improves quality of life and helps create a modern, clean aesthetic.
1. Sustainability
Lighting is one of the highest consumers of electricity, and incorporating daylighting supports building owners looking to lower energy usage and costs from lighting and HVAC.
Incorporating glass doors and windows into a facility can have a massive impact on the aesthetics of the building, but it also reduces the need for artificial lighting, and can significantly reduce energy costs.
2. Quality of Life
The WELL Building Standard considers daylighting by not only facilitating daytime vision and color perception, but influences human’s natural circadian rhythm. No one wants to work in a dark, isolated cubicle. Humans have a natural need for daylight, and glass solutions can greatly boost a person’s mood, energy, and productivity. Daylighting can also help minimize seasonal depression.
Glass naturally makes a space feel more welcoming, and something as simple as glass doors can encourage collaboration in the workplace, and make the workers feel more connected to one another.
Ultimately, a sustainable building is one that both considers the environmental impact, and also keeps its occupants healthy and happy.
3. Modern Aesthetic
Glass gives a building a contemporary touch by making rooms brighter and more open. Daylighting can make a space appear sleek and sophisticated, which can have a positive impression on anyone who enters your building.
Q. What types of projects /customers seek out products that offer access to quality daylighting and views?
Sustainability is becoming a priority for many companies. Many green building certification programs around the world now place more weight on human health and access to quality daylighting and views. Office buildings, healthcare facilities, and universities are working to incorporate glass elements into construction for sustainability and quality of life purposes.
Owners are using green building certification programs such as LEED, WELL Building Standard, and Living Building Challenge, as a guideline to help reduce their building’s carbon footprint. At ASSA ABLOY, we work with architects, designers, and sustainability consultants to help vet contributing products from ASSA ABLOY.
Sustainability at ASSA ABLOY
Q. Do these products offer additional sustainability attributes or certifications?
In addition to glass solutions' contribution to daylighting and views, many products have also achieved a variety of transparency documents that are relevant to the green building certification programs mentioned previously.
Environmental Product Declarations, Health Product Declaration, Declare labels and third party certifications provides details about a product's impact so project teams can make the best decision possible when it comes to the sustainability of their products.
Q. Why is sustainability important to ASSA ABLOY?
Sustainability as we see it at ASSA ABLOY, includes concern for the environment, sustainable products, health and safety, social responsibility, and business partner compliance. Sustainability is vital to our economic and industrial development.
It’s a company-wide responsibility to think consciously about how our products and practices affect the environment, and our sustainability initiatives are something that sets us apart from other companies in our industry.
ASSA ABLOY also offers a Product End of Life Recycling Program to reuse or dispose of products in an environmentally-responsible way.
Q. What are ASSA ABLOY’s sustainability goals?
ASSA ABLOY has joined the Science Based Targets initiative to further substantially reduce our greenhouse gas emissions across the entire value chain. We believe that science-based targets will be beneficial for our business on several levels.
By setting a net-zero target in line with a 1.5°C future, we are making a critical contribution to limiting the worst impacts of climate change. We will halve Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions in our own operations by 2030. We will reduce Scope 3 emissions by 28% by 2030. We commit to net zero emissions across the whole value chain no later than 2050.
ASSA ABLOY offers a wide variety of glass door hardware to make your transition to glass doors as seamless as possible. Contact an ASSA ABLOY consultant to help you determine which hardware best suits your glass door.