End of life
Within the end-of-life phase, acetylated wood completes and continues the cycle. As a nontoxic product, it is fully biodegradable, and thus can be handled in the same manner as untreated wood at the end of its life, fitting perfectly into the Cradle to Cradle design philosophy.
Acetylated wood users can adopt the ‘Ladder of Lansink’ recycling strategy in the end-of-life phase. This model largely follows the guidelines of the Cradle to Cradle philosophy to close biological and technological cycles as much as possible and reuse materials in applications with the same or even higher added value (i.e. up-cycling). The model consists of the following possible waste management scenarios, in which prevention is the most preferred option and dumping the least:
- prevention by avoiding any waste;
- prevention by developing products that do not create harmful waste and are 100 per cent biodegradable;
- useful application through product reuse;
- useful application through material reuse;
- useful application through energy production (i.e. incineration);
- removal through burning; and
- removal through dumping/composting.
Acetylated wood is fully reusable and recyclable. If reuse is impossible, the material can be safely incinerated for bio-energy or composted to close the loop of the carbon cycle. Additionally, byproducts from the production process are reused and recycled to produce acetylated medium-density fibreboard (MDF) or sold to other industries, including the food industry. Waste wood from construction projects also gets a high-quality second life as input material for acetylated MDF, increasing the carbon sink effect.
Certifications
To both quantify and verify the product’s environmental claims, acetylated wood can acquire several product certifications.
Cradle to Cradle
Certain acetylated wood types have been certified to Cradle to Cradle Gold. Managed by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, this is a multi-attribute product certification that examines products under five categories:
- material health;
- material reutilization;
- renewable energy and carbon management;
- water stewardship; and
- social fairness.
Products are certified at one of five levels—Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum—in each of the five categories. The lowest rating among those five categories dictates the final certification level.
The Future Build
The Future Build is an Arabian green building materials portal that helps architects, engineers, and contractors confidently select and source environmentally sustainable, third-party-certified products. Its products reflect the standards of sustainability-focused Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. Some acetylated wood types have been rated as excellent or A.
Nordic Ecolabel
Acetylated wood has been officially recognized by Europe’s Nordic nations with the award of the Svanen Ecolabel. The label, renowned for its rigor and transparency, is the internationally recognized ecolabel for Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Finland and was established in 1989 by the Nordic Council of Ministers. It was developed to help consumers and companies select products guaranteed to have met stringent environmental standards.
Google Portico
Google’s Healthy Materials Program, Portico—a building material analysis and decision-making tool—has also recognized acetylated wood with a high-ranking score. Used for Google buildings worldwide and currently available for early access to select architectural firms, with expansion to come, the tool comprises a database of more than 2500 building materials and products evaluated to provide transparency and chemical optimization.
