Make it easier to eco-label your building

Low Fire Hazard cables are a sure step in the right direction towards environmental certification. 

If you want to achieve eco-labelling, you need to choose high-quality products and materials with the lowest possible environmental impact - from the design phase to completion. Such certifications make it easier to attract green loans. It also makes the building more attractive to buyers and tenants.  

Fire safety is one of the areas covered in ecolabelling. Here, the choice of cables is important. Both because of requirements for pure fire safety, but also because of general requirements for building materials that deal with choice of materials, health and the environment, indoor climate, greenhouse gas emissions and waste management.  

Protecting lifetime and circular economy 

Environmental certifications have strict requirements for the building's lifespan and environmental impact throughout its life cycle. Low Fire Hazard cables do not emit corrosive gases in case of fire.  

- This property reduces the extent of damage to electronics, equipment and building materials,’ says Bjørn.  

To extend the lifetime of the building, easier cleaning, faster rehabilitation and lower replacement costs are major benefits after a building fire. It also reduces the amount of waste and associated climate emissions, as well as producing less environmentally polluting residues.  

 
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is internationally recognised by the EPA 

The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is the Nordic region's official environmental certification for a range of products, buildings and services. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel sets strict requirements for environmental impact, health and sustainability throughout the building's life cycle. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently updated its recommendations for environmentally friendly products and services and highlights the Nordic Swan Ecolabel as a good choice. 

 In Nordic Swan Ecolabelled buildings, only products that meet the Nordic Swan Ecolabel's material requirements can be used. Suppliers can self-declare products in Nordic Ecolabelling's new SCDP portal (gen. 4) for use in such buildings. This portal, together with Nordic Ecolabelling's house product portal, are useful tools for ensuring the right choice of materials in a Nordic Swan Ecolabelled building project. 

- The Nordic Swan Ecolabel also requires detailed documentation on the absence of chemicals that may pose health or environmental risks in all building materials, in order to be listed in the new generation 4 portal,’ says Bjørn.  

Halogenated plastics, such as PVC, are widely used in building materials and products such as cables. One of the substances in PVC that is heavily regulated by the Nordic Ecolabel is phthalates, which are widely used as plasticisers in PVC. They are often found in toys, cosmetics, electronics and building materials. If these chemicals go astray, for example in a fire situation, they can potentially be harmful. Nordic Swan Ecolabelled products exclude all types of phthalates, and products containing PVC are not permitted in Nordic Swan Ecolabelled buildings. 

BREEAM-Nor is Norway's most widely used environmental certification for buildings, particularly for new builds and major refurbishments. A BREEAM-certified building must consist of materials that can document that they do not contain compounds on the candidate list in the REACH regulation, or the Norwegian priority list. All Nexans' Low Fire Hazard cables can be documented according to BREEAM as containing no such substances.  

Read about the Salvation Army who chose Low Fire Hazard cables in their new BREEAM-certified building at Ensjø.