CARBON AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE
Take a look at how our system measures up against concrete, and steel balconies in regards to carbon usage and how we impact the environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE
Environmental consciousness and sustainability have never been more important, and we take this responsibility to heart. There are several ways we are tackling this issue by providing innovative solutions to reduce our environmental impact.
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Prefinished Balconies
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Our 95% prefinished balconies dramatically reduce the time spent in construction on-site and cut down on crane time with our Glide-On technology. Prefinished balconies are far more energy-efficient and dramatically reduces the risk of errors leading to a reduction in waste. Controlled manufacturing conditions and specialised infrastructure make the assembly process more efficient and accurate, allowing them to be finished and delivered Rigid, Ready, Right.
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Delivery to Site
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Once the project is ready for installation, our Cassette balconies are delivered safely to the site on one of our own trailers either stacked or nested to cut emissions. Each project is given a custom lorry plan to transport as many balconies as possible safely and efficiently. Balconies are either nested together, double or triple stacked on one of our specialised platforms to reduce fuel emissions in transport and limit the number of vehicles travelling to the site.
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Reduced Weight, Reduced Emissions
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Our aluminium Cassette balcony decks are approximately half the weight of steel making them far more efficient to transport and install. Not only does this cut emissions during transport, but it also means our balconies need fewer brackets to secure them in place. Fewer brackets and connections between the balcony and the buildings reduce the risk of cold bridging and damp, making the building more energy efficient for occupants as well as giving significant cost savings.
With the government pledge to reduce the energy consumption of buildings by half by 2030, clever innovations will be at the forefront of this change.
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Recyclable
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We’re proud to say that the entire Cassette balcony system can be recycled – the full 100%,! Thanks to the Glide-On technology balconies can be just as easily removed at the end of their lifespan as they were installed at the beginning. From there, the balconies can be easily disassembled, and the components sent for recycling. Aluminium is one of the easiest metals to recycle and is 92% more energy efficient than producing new aluminium. According to The Aluminium Association, a 10% increase in aluminium end-of-life recycling decreases industry greenhouse gas emissions by 15%.
Our commitment to sustainability is underlined by our attainment of the ISO 14001 certification and adherence to the 2015 standards.
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When looking at the carbon performance of aluminium against the traditional steel balcony, and concrete balconies below are the key takeaways:
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- Sapphire’s Aluminium balconies generate only 62% of the CO2 per Square Metre that a comparable steel
balcony does, and just 54% of the CO2 per Square Metre generated in for Concrete Balconies. This covers all
the way from Raw Materials to Delivery & Installation on site.
- Sapphire’s CO2 generation during delivery is comparable to those of others, with additional efficiencies
possible. However, raw material transport is greatly reduced.
- The CO2 generated at the typical key Sapphire subcontractor during manufacture from raw material is 67%
less than Steel & Concrete balconies.