GROHE X Fact Snack
Proofing sustainability – Assessing the environmental impact of buildings
If green buildings are to become a widespread reality, then detailed and accurate data on every element that goes into their construction is going to have to made widely available. The current direction of travel in the industry is towards environmental product declarations, or EPDs. These are transparent product passports that disclose data on individual products from the raw materials used in their production to details of how they will be disposed of or recycled at the end of their lives. These will greatly assist architects and planners in assessing the environmental impact of their projects, during their construction and for their entire lifecycles.
As LIXIL EMENA’s Leader Commercial Regulation, Approval and Augmentation, Tomas Kvillström is responsible for ensuring every GROHE product complies with regulations in every market we sell into. He recognises there is a pressing need for the entire architecture and design community, and their suppliers, to transparently assess the total environmental impact of their buildings. Given the construction industry accounts for 40% of global CO2 emissions, change like this has been coming. If EPDs are not already a legal requirement in your country, they will be soon.
Tomas Kvillström
Leader, Commercial Regulation, LIXIL EMENA
For the six years he has been with GROHE Tomas has worked on our products’ technical features and on obtaining regulatory approvals. Recently he has focused increasingly on the sustainability of our products and on the development of environmental documentation. Currently he is leading GROHE’s work on Environmental Product Declarations. As a Swede working in our Nordic region, Tomas is well versed on the idea of protecting common resources through taking individual responsibility.
Yasmine Blair
Moderator
Yasmine was born in Los Angeles and moved to her mother’s home city of Vienna as a child. She began her TV career in 2006, moving to Berlin in 2009. She hosts a number of live shows and corporate programs, while also working as a translator and coach.