VAN Dyck Floors’ range of rubber flooring and paving products has achieved a Global GreenTag GBCSA Level B rating from the internationally respected green building product rating and certification organisation, GreenTag, making it a leading supplier to the green building sector.
CEO of Van Dyck Floors, Dr Mehran Zarrebini, said the extensive certification process began in September 2017.
Van Dyck Floors was the first South African producer of recycled rubber flooring, paving, acoustic cradles and ballistic blocks to achieve this.
GreenTag
GreenTag is an independent ecolabel and trust mark that ensures that every product is tested and certified using leading international certification programmes and scientific methods.It is recognized in over 70 countries across Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, South Africa, Africa and South East Asia.
The GreenTag Certification process involves the entire supply chain from the ingredients to the final product. Audits cover allkey aspects of sustainability under a single assessment process with products scored against a variety of criteria including greenhouse-gas emissions, biodiversity, health and ecotoxicity, life cycle analysis, synergy (product efficiency), social responsibility and labour conditions.
GreenTag certification has been recognised by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) as a product certification standard for the Materials Fit out Calculator in Green Star SA Interiors v1 Rating Tool.
A GBCSA Level B Certification, in particular, will achieve 85% of the credit points required by the GBCSA for a floor covering.Although statistics are hard to come by, it is believed that, in South Africa, 41 percent of new builds are green builds compared to a global average of 24 percent. This is expected to reach 61% in the near future.¹
Research shows that greener offices can dramatically improve employee productivity and decrease sick leave by 66 percent with a resultant reduction in staff turnover and medical costs.²
“The Green Tag Certificate gives us credibility when marketing our products to those who are investing in environmentally friendly construction. Architects, quantity surveyors and interior decorators can now confidently specify Van Dyck Floors’ products for use based on the research associated with the certification process rather than have to conduct their own expensive and time consuming research,” he pointed out.
Dr Zarrebini added that the certification covered the company’s social, quality and environmental policies as well as the characteristics of the product itself.
“Our rubber pavers are certified from a material constituent basis as well. Truck tyres are used in these products because of the greater rubber content and lower chemical content. Our paving products were sent to Australia for testing – various tests were done for water vapour resistance, thermal cycle, density surface resistance and colour fastness. The extensive tests took weeks.”
He said Van Dyck Floors had also provided product formulations for every single ingredient that went into each product manufactured.
This entailed close communication with suppliers who were not always comfortable with sharing closely guarded intellectual property related to product manufacture.
However, suppliers had helped Van Dyck Floors resolve issues that emerged during the certification process. “For example, the company that makes the polyurethane binder that we use in our products have been very helpful. The product was re-engineered to conform to stringent environmental requirements.”
He said that, as this range of products was still relatively new and had only been rolled out from the beginning of this year, intense product development was underway. Future products would also be submitted for GreenTag certification.
The GreenTag certification also meant that Van Dyck was well-positioned to export product going forward.
The current product range includes rubber tiles, pavers and interlocking mats which are used extensively in high traffic and high-risk areas such as old age homes, children’s playgrounds and gym and sporting facilities due to their ability to prevent slipping and cushion falls, thereby increasing personal safety.
These products utilize rubber crumb produced by sister company, Mathe Group, which recycles radial truck tyres in nearby Hammarsdale.
“Van Dyck Floors is striving to be the leading producer of innovative recycled rubber products in South Africa. We are passionate about protecting our planet and ensuring sustainable living solutions by upcycling waste into innovative products,” he said.
