What is circular?

Answer:
Circular economy
To prevent us from further depleting the earth’s scarce raw materials, we want to move towards a more sustainable society. This means not throwing things away but recycling them or, even better, reusing them so that no energy has to be spent first to turn them into usable (secondary) raw materials again. In other words: circular use of raw materials and products. The goal of our government is to achieve a 50% circular economy by 2030 and a 100% circular economy by 2050. The construction industry must become an important player in the circular economy. The environmental impact of buildings must be reduced by using sustainable materials.

10R model
When talking about sustainable use of materials, we often think of recycling: collecting used products and using their raw materials again to make new products, so they do not become waste. That is good, but there are many more sustainable options, especially for technical building materials. These options are clearly shown and ranked by impact in the 10R circularity model by Prof. Jacqueline Cramer of Utrecht University. In order of desirability, these are: Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Re-use, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle and Recover.

Plug-and-play installations from Isolectra rank as high as possible in the 10R model:

Rethink: We use a different installation topology and thus save, for example, on cable length.
Reduce: We use fewer materials, no conduits, fewer junction boxes, etc.
Re-use: After use and re-certification, our plug-and-play installation products can be reused.
Repair: Where possible, we can repair defective cables.
Recycle: What cannot be repaired or reused is recycled so that as little waste as possible remains.
source: CB23, Circular Building Framework - https://www.archipunt.nl/het-10r-model-voor-circulariteit-hoe/

Circular installation
Isolectra, importer of Wieland, has since 2023 been the first company to offer a circular plug-and-play installation. Circular installation (isolectra.nl)

A building or installation is circular if, during construction and operation, the materials are part of a closed loop without releasing harmful substances into the air, water or soil. Building materials are circular if they are themselves recyclable or reusable, or made from reusable raw materials.
To demonstrate that you are using circular materials, these must be included in the National Environmental Database (NMD).

Back to Circular installation

What is circular?
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Answer:
Circular economy
To prevent us from further depleting the earth’s scarce raw materials, we want to move towards a more sustainable society. This means not throwing things away but recycling them or, even better, reusing them so that no energy has to be spent first to turn them into usable (secondary) raw materials again. In other words: circular use of raw materials and products. The goal of our government is to achieve a 50% circular economy by 2030 and a 100% circular economy by 2050. The construction industry must become an important player in the circular economy. The environmental impact of buildings must be reduced by using sustainable materials.
10R model
When talking about sustainable use of materials, we often think of recycling: collecting used products and using their raw materials again to make new products, so they do not become waste. That is good, but there are many more sustainable options, especially for technical building materials. These options are clearly shown and ranked by impact in the 10R circularity model by Prof. Jacqueline Cramer of Utrecht University. In order of desirability, these are: Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Re-use, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle and Recover.
Plug-and-play installations from Isolectra rank as high as possible in the 10R model:
Rethink: We use a different installation topology and thus save, for example, on cable length.
Reduce: We use fewer materials, no conduits, fewer junction boxes, etc.
Re-use: After use and re-certification, our plug-and-play installation products can be reused.
Repair: Where possible, we can repair defective cables.
Recycle: What cannot be repaired or reused is recycled so that as little waste as possible remains.
source: CB23, Circular Building Framework - https://www.archipunt.nl/het-10r-model-voor-circulariteit-hoe/
Circular installation
Isolectra, importer of Wieland, has since 2023 been the first company to offer a circular plug-and-play installation. Circular installation (isolectra.nl)
A building or installation is circular if, during construction and operation, the materials are part of a closed loop without releasing harmful substances into the air, water or soil. Building materials are circular if they are themselves recyclable or reusable, or made from reusable raw materials.
To demonstrate that you are using circular materials, these must be included in the National Environmental Database (NMD).
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What types of circular pluggable materials are there?
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Answer:
Virgin materials with an EPD
Virgin materials are newly produced materials. They are considered circular if an EPD for these products is included in the NMD, as is the case for the Wieland GST18^® and RST20^® products.
Certified Re-used materials
Re-used materials are products that are used again. They may, for example, come from a building that is being renovated. These materials may only be reused if they still comply with the applicable standards for those products.
In the case of Wieland GST18^® and RST20^® materials, this is the product standard NEN-EN-IEC 61535. To demonstrate compliance, it is necessary to thoroughly test and inspect the materials before reuse, a process that Isolectra carefully performs for all secondary products it supplies.
The products must also meet the requirements of the Building Decree and the Dutch standard NEN1010 applicable to their new purpose. This includes compliance with regulations regarding fire safety and the CPR. See also our FAQ on this topic.
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How do you demonstrate circularity?
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Answer:
Circularity is demonstrated by using materials that are included in the NMD, the National Environmental Database, with a category 1 environmental declaration. To achieve this, the supplier of the materials assesses the environmental impact in an LCA, which—after verification—can be published in an EPD and subsequently added to the NMD. In some cases, a take-back guarantee is also required.
LCA
An LCA is a Life Cycle Analysis. This is a report that specifies exactly what environmental impact occurs at each life stage of the construction product, from extraction and production to use and demolition. It assesses, among other things, the depletion of raw materials and toxic emissions into the air, water, and soil, including substances like CO₂ and NOx.
EPDs
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a declaration prepared in accordance with EN15804 by a supplier of goods, based on a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). To guarantee the independence of the information, this LCA is reviewed by an expert accredited by the NMD, and only then included in the NMD as an environmental declaration. These data may then be used to calculate an MPG.
Isolectra has created EPDs for its plug-and-play installations:
Isolectra Environmental Product Declaration General
Isolectra Environmental Product Declaration Connectors
Isolectra Environmental Product Declaration Electrical Cable
Isolectra Environmental Product Declaration Distributors
Category 1 environmental declaration
Inclusion in the NMD takes place through an environmental declaration. There are several categories of environmental declarations, with the category 1 declaration—containing brand-specific data from the supplier—providing the best scores for environmental performance calculations.
NMD
All environmental impacts of the construction products used in a project together form the Environmental Performance of a building. To calculate and compare the Environmental Performance of Buildings (MPG) consistently, the independent National Environmental Database (NMD) has been established. In this database, environmental data of construction products are collected in the form of environmental declarations.
Environmental Database – Environmental Declarations
Take-back guarantee
For some projects and subsidies, it is required to provide a guarantee that the materials used will be reused or recycled. Isolectra can issue a project-specific statement confirming that materials for which an EPD applies will be taken back at the end of their service life to be tested and reused or recycled.
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