Meet increasing CO₂ requirements and secure long-term competitiveness

The European Green Deal has stipulated that Europe must be climate neutral by 2050, while in Germany the aim is to achieve this objective by 2045. As a result, fabricators are seeing rising demand from investors and architects for low-emission, future-proof buildings. Carbon footprints are increasingly becoming a deciding factor in the award of contracts, as CO₂ becomes a new currency and an optimum carbon footprint becomes the key to meeting specification requirements in full. Fabricators can control the carbon footprint of the planned building during construction and adhere to regulations at an early stage in order to ensure the building's sustainability and give it a competitive edge in calls for tender.

Benefits of implementing projects with Schüco Carbon Control​

Material

By choosing the right materials, those involved in the building process can actively influence the construction emissions. Low Carbon aluminium (LC), Ultra Low Carbon aluminium (ULC) and our PVC material grades offer profiles with a very low CO₂ value. Schüco distributes ULC and LC in accordance with the allotment process. This means that no differentiation is made between the different material grades for delivery. The profiles supplied may therefore consist of standard, LC or ULC aluminium, irrespective of what has been ordered.

Carbon footprint at the touch of a button

For the first time, users are given complete transparency about the CO₂ values of the materials used and units constructed in our 3D calculation software SchüCal at any point during the planning and construction process.

Hybrid constructions

With hybrid systems, we combine the best properties of various materials to create solutions that have an even greater impact on ensuring a lower CO₂ value.

Carbon efficiency in fabrication

5-axis CNC machines from Schüco combine the fabrication steps of a saw with a CNC machine. Through this and other features, power consumption is greatly reduced. The optimised cutting also minimises material waste.

Minimising CO₂ throughout the entire building lifecycle

Fabricators have the option to minimise construction emissions in the building envelope by using environmentally friendly, low-carbon materials and smart sustainability solutions. In this way, they can reduce the building's carbon footprint over its entire lifecycle and ensure it has a competitive edge and is ecologically and economically future proof with increasing CO₂ requirements. The holistic, combinable solutions from Schüco Carbon Control make decarbonisation of the building envelope possible throughout the entire lifecycle of a building. The range of services is structured along the four phases of a building's life – planning, construction, operation and dismantling – and offers a selection of tailored solutions for every stage, with products and services from the Schüco portfolio. The solutions can be used in all stages of the construction, dovetailing seamlessly and thereby ensuring continuous, effective CO₂ reduction.

Design to Decarb

From the design and planning stage, carbon-reducing products and services are setting the course for optimised carbon footprints in buildings. Construction and function offer numerous opportunities to plan a lower carbon footprint for a building from the outset.

Digital_SchüCal

Retrieve completely transparent CO₂ values with SchüCal

Carbon Control Consulting
Bürohaus mit Photovoltaikfassade in Eschborn

Building-integrated photovoltaics

Build to Decarb

Carbon-reducing products and services help to minimise the carbon footprint of a planned building and comply with regulatory specifications. This is achieved, for example, through energy-efficient fabrication machinery and the choice of materials, through which the embodied carbon can be consciously reduced. In addition to efficient CNC machines, Schüco offers aluminium and PVC-U material grades with different recycled material content and hybrid constructions. Schüco distributes this low-carbon aluminium in accordance with the allotment process. This means that no differentiation is made between the different material grades for delivery. The profiles supplied may therefore consist of standard, LC or ULC aluminium, irrespective of what has been ordered.

Digital_SchüCal

Retrieve completely transparent CO₂ values with SchüCal
CO₂--sparende Hybridsysteme

Using hybrid systems

Carbon Control Consulting

Energy-efficient CNC machines

Operate to Decarb

The highly efficient operation of a building is a key factor for minimising its carbon emissions and for ensuring its cost effectiveness. Continuously sustainable and low-carbon operation can be planned from the outset with intelligent solutions and efficient operating concepts – for an optimum carbon footprint while a building is in use.

Kreislaufwirtschaft

Sustainable operation, maintenance and recycling
Schüco IoF-ID

IoF ID
Bürohaus mit Photovoltaikfassade in Eschborn

Building-integrated photovoltaics

Recycle to Decarb

Carbon-reducing products and services help to feed materials that are at the end of their service life back into the cycle as new resources. When recycling concepts are included in the design plans from the outset, you can ensure that installed materials are subsequently fed back into the closed cycle.

Kreislaufwirtschaft

Sustainable operation, maintenance and recycling
Schüco IoF-ID

IoF ID

Contact us

Our CO₂ consultancy team helps fabricators to actively minimise a building envelope's carbon footprint.

Contact us

Reference projects

Take a look at our reference projects to find out how Schüco Carbon Control can help to minimise the carbon footprint of buildings in practice.

Stresemannstrasse_4 (Custom)

commercial newbuild, Berlin

PULSE Berlin
137_Heinl_MA71_Humboldthafen_B_6236745

office building, Hessen

Matchbox

Education and culture, Leipzig

BetaPort
Referenz Sansibar

Residential and commercial building, Westerland

Sansibar Sylt
137_Heinl_MA71_Humboldthafen_B_6236745

Residential and commercial building, Berlin

Humboldt harbour

Media library

Watch our videos to discover your options for decarbonisation with Schüco Carbon Control.

FAQs

What does EPD stand for?

The abbreviation EPD stands for Environmental Product Declaration. For fabricators, the EPD is an important document containing data that lists the environmental properties of a construction material. It considers the entire lifecycle of the material – from raw material extraction and production through to disposal. This information is based on the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of the material and construction and enables a clear assessment of the environmental impact. 

EPDs are essential for fabricators, allowing them to choose environmentally friendly materials and thereby minimise the carbon footprint of construction projects. EPDs offer a sound basis for ensuring that the materials used meet sustainability requirements.At Schüco, EPDs are a core part of Carbon Control, which helps fabricators to actively achieve the climate objectives while producing high-quality, sustainable construction projects.

What is the Global Warming Potential (GWP)?

The Global Warming Potential (GWP) describes the extent to which a certain greenhouse gas contributes to global warming in comparison to CO₂. The GWP is important for fabricators to understand the potential impact a building will have on the environment over its entire lifecycle. Two main sources of CO₂ emissions are considered here: embodied carbon, which is the emissions embedded in the construction materials used, and operational carbon, which is produced through operation of the building, for example through energy consumption. The GWP value is given as a CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e) and helps to assess the environmental impact of a project. 

Fabricators play a key role as they can help to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of a building by selecting materials with a low GWP and running an efficient construction process. Schüco Carbon Control offers fabricators targeted support for minimising both the embodied and operational carbon over the entire lifecycle of a building and thereby actively contributing to achieving the climate objectives.

What do LC and ULC mean and how do they differ?

LC stands for Low Carbon aluminium and ULC for Ultra Low Carbon aluminium. Both terms describe aluminium grades offered by Schüco in addition to standard aluminium. The difference between the aluminium grades lies in the extent of CO₂ reduction during production. This is largely determined by the proportion of recycled aluminium used.

During the production of Low Carbon aluminium, only green energy is used in order to ensure fewer emissions are produced. Schüco Low Carbon aluminium therefore achieves a GWP value of  3.84 kg CO₂e/kg aluminium profile. Schüco Ultra Low Carbon (ULC) goes one step further and contains at least 75% post-consumer recycled material, with a GWP value of 1.99 kg CO₂e/kg aluminium profile. 

These aluminium grades play a central role at Schüco Carbon Control and help fabricators to minimise the carbon footprint of their construction projects. Schüco Ultra Low Carbon and Low Carbon aluminium is supplied in accordance with the allotment process. This means that no differentiation is made between the different material grades for delivery. The profiles supplied may therefore consist of standard, ULC or LC aluminium, irrespective of what has been ordered.

What is the allotment process?

The distribution of Schüco Low Carbon (LC) and Ultra Low Carbon (ULC) profiles is organised in accordance with the allotment process. The priority here is for the ordered profiles to reach their destination in the most efficient way possible with the shortest transport routes. In order to ensure this, we do not differentiate between the different material grades of standard aluminium, Low Carbon aluminium and Ultra Low Carbon aluminium for storage and delivery. This also isn't necessary, as the material grades are identical in chemical, mechanical and geometric terms. The relevant carbon saving is made beforehand, during the production stage. Low Carbon and Ultra Low Carbon aluminium have a considerably smaller carbon footprint and therefore a lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) than standard aluminium.The profiles supplied may therefore consist of standard, LC or ULC aluminium, irrespective of what has been ordered. 

In order to ensure and prove that carbon is saved with your building project, or recycled material is used during the production of new profiles, Schüco is commissioning DEKRA to certify the balance between inbound and outbound recycled aluminium. This enables us to ensure that we are purchasing at least as much LC or ULC aluminium as is actually being ordered from us and delivered by us. When you order LC or ULC aluminium, you can therefore be sure that CO₂ has been saved accordingly during production by Schüco.

What do BALANCED PVC, RECYCLED PVC and BIO-ATTRIBUTED PVC mean?

BALANCED PVC, RECYCLED PVC and BIO-ATTRIBUTED PVC are the material classes for Schüco profile systems. Profiles with the BALANCED PVC material standard are produced in a more sustainable* way. In addition to this, choosing the RECYCLED PVC material class supports the circular economy even more proactively and, BIO-ATTRIBUTED PVC promotes a non-fossil raw material basis. All material classes support the decarbonisation of the building envelope over the long term. 

 

 

*This is achieved through the use of either recycled material or a formulation that makes optimum use of resources in the inner core.