FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY

What is meant by sustainability?

Sustainability is understood as the equal consideration of economic, environmental, and social objectives. It is based on the assumption that both current and future generations should have access to a good quality of life and sufficient resources.

What is meant by healthy building?

Healthy building refers to a construction approach that aims to promote the health and well-being of occupants. Various aspects are taken into account to ensure a healthy indoor climate and a high quality of life. Key elements include the use of low-emission and environmentally responsible building materials, as well as environmentally friendly and resource-efficient construction practices.

What are building certification systems?

Building certification systems are used to assess and verify the environmental performance, sustainability, and quality of buildings.

In Germany, the following systems are most commonly used:

• DGNB-System (German Sustainable Building Council certification system)  
• BNB-System Assessment System for Sustainable Building), applicable only to public buildings
• LEED-System (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), internationally recognized

All systems impose strict requirements on the buildings to be certified. These requirements may relate, for example, to the use of specific construction products, cost-efficient building operation, or user comfort.

Ideally, a building designed according to sustainability criteria and its environmental impacts are evaluated throughout its entire life cycle—from planning and construction through to demolition and disposal.

What does QNG mean?

QNG (Quality Seal for Sustainable Buildings) is a government quality label issued by the German Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building. It provides information on the ecological, socio-cultural, and economic characteristics of a building’s planning and construction.

It also serves as a basis for funding under Germany's Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings (BEG) program. A prerequisite for receiving the QNG certification is certification through a registered sustainable building certification system (e.g., DGNB or BNB). The assessment is carried out according to the rules of the respective building certification system.

Good to know: Our sustainability data sheets make it quick and easy to see which building certification system applies to your desired PCI product and whether the product meets QNG requirements.

What is EMICODE?

  EMICODE is a quality label for low-emission construction materials, awarded by GEV (Association for the Control of Emissions in Products for Flooring Installation, Adhesives and Building Materials).

There are three classifications:

• EC2 – meets the basic requirements
• EC1 – identifies very low-emission products and has been widely established as the industry standard for many years
• EC1 PLUS – the premium category, representing the current technical limit and setting significantly stricter emission limits than EC1

Did you know? Today, we already offer very low-emission PCI products in nearly every product category, classified according to the GEV EMICODE standard with EC1 or EC1 PLUS labels.Beim EMICODE handelt es sich um ein Gütesiegel für emissionsarme Baustoffe, vergeben durch die GEV (Gemeinschaft Emissionskontrollierte Verlegewerkstoffe, Klebstoffe und Bauprodukte e.V.).

You can find all low-emission PCI products here: Emissionsarme Baustoffe

What does the Blue Angel label mean?

The Blue Angel is an environmental label that identifies products and services that are particularly environmentally friendly and health-conscious.Certified products must meet strict criteria established by experts. These criteria may include, for example, the reduction of harmful substances, conservation of resources, and recyclability.

What is an EPD?

EPD stands for Environmental Product Declaration.

An EPD is a document that provides information about the environmental impacts of a building material. The data is intended to cover all significant environmental effects associated with the product (e.g., its carbon footprint). Ideally, the assessment considers the product’s entire life cycle.

Why do I need a Sustainability Data Sheet?

PCI Sustainability Data Sheets (NDBs) provide all key information regarding healthy and sustainable building practices in a concise format.

At a glance, you can see whether a PCI product:

• has an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) 
• is suitable for use in DGNB-certified projects
• is suitable for use in LEED-certified projects.

You can find all available Sustainability Data Sheets for PCI products here: Nachhaltigkeitsdatenblätter