The Sustainability of RENOLIT ALKORPLAN Membranes

To provide full transparency, we utilize standardized and verified tools to measure our environmental impact.

• Environmental Product Declaration (EPD): An EPD, prepared according to standards like ISO 14025 and EN 15804, is a third-party verified document that transparently communicates the environmental impact of a product throughout its entire life cycle. EPDs for our RENOLIT ALKORPLAN range are available in the Documentation page.

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): This is the comprehensive methodology used to create an EPD. It assesses every stage of a product's life, from raw material extraction, manufacturing, and transport to its use and eventual end-of-life through recycling or disposal. Our LCA, covering "cradle to gate with options" and including a Module D for recycling, underlines the limited environmental footprint of the RENOLIT ALKORPLAN product range.

• Importance for RENOLIT: Having EPDs for our products is a clear demonstration of our commitment to transparency and sustainability. It empowers our clients—including architects, designers, and builders, to make informed decisions and accurately calculate the environmental impact of their projects, which is fundamental for sustainable construction.

📌 See EPD

A circular approach is at the heart of our sustainability strategy, focusing on minimizing waste and maximizing resource use.

• Internal Recycling: All products in the RENOLIT ALKORPLAN range contain a high quantity of raw materials originating from production waste within the RENOLIT group, with a variable percentage of up to 50%. Our internal recycling rate is progressively increasing as we pursue our goals to:
  • Minimize waste generated during our production process.
  • Maximize the reuse of waste from our own production.
  • Maximize the reuse of building site waste from our products.

  • Maximize the reuse of end-of-life products.

• ROOFCOLLECT: RENOLIT is a co-founder and key player in the ROOFCOLLECT program within the VinylPlus® project. This initiative brings together European PVC producers to manage the recycling of PVC building materials, particularly synthetic membranes.

• RENOLIT Goes Circular: This is our global strategic initiative. It focuses not only on increasing the use of recycled materials but also on designing products that are easier to recycle at the end of their useful life, effectively closing the loop and advancing a truly circular economy.

• Certification Recyclass: This certifications validates the traceability and quality of recycled plastic and the recycling processes. When RENOLIT uses materials certified by these schemes, we guarantee to our clients that the recycled content is of high quality and its origin is fully verifiable.

• VinylPlus® Product Label: VinylPlus® is the European PVC industry's voluntary commitment to sustainable development. This product label is awarded to products meeting strict criteria, such as the use of responsible additives and a contribution to closed-loop recycling. For RENOLIT, being part of this program and obtaining the label for our products is a testament to our industry leadership and responsibility.

📌 See Certifications

The technical solutions provided by RENOLIT ALKORPLAN membranes are the right choice for sustainable building projects. The ability to create green roofs, cool roofs, cool colour roofs, or ballasted roofs that can serve as additional living spaces is becoming increasingly important worldwide.

As the building sector moves towards a zero-impact goal by 2050, particularly in regions like Europe, the principles of the circular economy are central. The RENOLIT ALKORPLAN range, in its various forms, is the ideal solution to meet these demands.

Our products contribute to earning points in major sustainable rating systems like LEED, BREEAM, VERDE, DGNB, BDM, and CAM in several categories:

• Resources and Materials: Through the use of products with EPDs, verified recycled content (Recyclass), and exceptional durability.
• Energy: Our "cool roof" membranes in light colours feature a high Solar Reflectance Index (SRI), which reduces the need for air conditioning and, consequently, lowers the building's energy consumption.
• Waste: By promoting recycling and the durability of our products, we help to significantly limit construction waste.
• Health and Wellbeing: Our interior products contribute to creating healthy indoor spaces with low emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

We can also provide specific reports, such as from the Green Building Council España (GBCe), detailing how RENOLIT products contribute to the criteria of local systems like VERDE in Spain, facilitating the work of professionals seeking these certifications.

📌 BREEAM, LEED, VERDE

Reducing our carbon footprint is a top priority for the RENOLIT Group. We have established clear corporate goals and are making continuous factory improvements to achieve them.

• Resource Efficiency: We are continuously lowering our resource consumption. In 2030 our energy consumption has been reduced to <2 kWh/kg produced, and our water consumption has decreased by 30% compared to 2026.
• Green Energy: We are transitioning to renewable energy in our production plants, either by installing solar panels on-site or by purchasing certified green electricity.
• CO₂ Reduction: Our Scope 1 and 2 carbon footprint has been reduced to 100,000t CO₂ (based on current structures). To lower our Scope 3 emissions, we collaborate with our supply chain to use raw materials that contribute to a significantly lower product carbon footprint and are decreasing our dependency on fossil raw materials. All of this supports our journey to Carbon Neutrality by 2045.
• Waste Avoidance: We continuously avoid waste and promote internally closed material cycles, resulting in zero plastic waste sold to third parties. Our internal material streams are fully transparent to avoid losses, resulting in a first-pass efficiency of >95% globally.
• Take-Back Projects: We have at least 30 waste-take-back projects for the reuse of post-industrial and post-consumer recyclates in our production processes.
• Certified Recycled Content: Each of our Strategic Market Units (SMUs) offers a certified product range with high recycling content.
• Environmental Management (ISO 14001 & EMAS): These certifications demonstrate that RENOLIT operates under a structured and audited framework to identify, manage, monitor, and continuously improve our environmental performance. EMAS is an even more demanding European scheme that requires a public environmental statement.
• Operation Clean Sweep® (OCS): As a signatory to this international initiative, we are committed to implementing best practices to prevent plastic pellets, flakes, or powder from our facilities from reaching the environment, thereby preventing microplastic pollution.

📌 See Certifications

Our commitment to sustainability is deeply integrated into our corporate strategy, guided by the United Nations 2030 Agenda. We actively pursue 11 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on concrete actions that allow us to produce better products using fewer resources, with a greater focus on people and the planet. This philosophy is not just an intention; it is the way we operate at RENOLIT.

Our efforts are channelled through our innovative products, responsible corporate initiatives, and strong partnerships, all contributing to a more sustainable future.

• Sustainable Product Solutions: Our RENOLIT ALKORPLAN product range is specifically designed to address key environmental challenges, directly contributing to several SDGs:
  • Water Management & Biodiversity: Our Blue Roof and Green Roof solutions are designed to manage rainwater effectively and preserve biodiversity in urban environments.
    • This supports SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).
  • Energy Efficiency: The RENOLIT ALKORPLAN Bright (Cool Roof) and RENOLIT ALKORPLAN Smart (Cool Roof) membranes are engineered to reflect sunlight and absorb less heat. This significantly reduces the building's temperature and lowers the demand for air conditioning, leading to substantial energy savings.
    • This supports SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9, SDG 11, and SDG 13.
  • Renewable Energy Integration: RENOLIT ALKORPLAN Solar products provide a perfect, reliable base for synthetic roofs that host photovoltaic systems, facilitating the generation of clean energy. 

    • This supports SDG 7 and SDG 9.

• Responsible Production and Corporate Initiatives: Our commitment goes beyond our products and is embedded in our daily operations and corporate culture.

• Protecting Water and Promoting Circularity: We are an active participant in the Operation Clean Sweep® program, a crucial initiative aimed at ensuring that no plastic particles from our facilities end up in the oceans. This commitment to preventing microplastic pollution, combined with our robust EPD certifications, operational excellence policies (OpEx), and dedicated recycling department, underscores our dedication to responsible production. 

  • These actions directly contribute to SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 14 (Life Below Water).

• Resource Optimization: We have made remarkable progress in decoupling our growth from resource consumption. From 2009 to today, while our production has increased by 127%, we have successfully reduced our consumption per square meter of membrane produced: 

  • 20% reduction in electricity
  • 35% reduction in water
  • 38% reduction in gas

  • Furthermore, on average, every square meter of our membrane contains 50% recycled material. We recycle 8,500 tons of product annually, and 8% of our total workforce is actively engaged in our recycling processes.

• Gender Equality: We maintain a very active Equality Commission, ensuring that we promote fairness and equal opportunities within our organization. 

  • This is our direct contribution to SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

• Partnerships for a Common Goal: We believe in the power of collaboration. We cooperate with several international associations to achieve shared objectives in plastic recycling and building sustainability, including VinylPlus®, the Circular Plastics Alliance, ESWA, and the Green Building Council (GBCe). 

  • This aligns with SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Our commitment extends to our entire supply chain.

• Achilles Platform: Achilles is a supplier qualification platform used by major companies to ensure their supply chain is reliable and meets high standards. Our qualification in Achilles, especially in its sustainability modules, demonstrates to our customers that RENOLIT is a responsible business partner committed to best practices.