Sustainability


There is likely no other industry with more potential for saving energy and resources than construction. The construction sector consumes a massive amount of raw materials and energy. But not only that: Over the lifetime of buildings and infrastructure the impact on nature through energy consumption and maintenance may be even bigger.

The mission of our company to contribute to a better, more liveable world with our specific expertise. With our products and services, we help to increase the lifetime of buildings and reduce maintenance needs. This reduces the consumption of energy and materials throughout the entire lifecycle of buildings. It is our goal to contribute to a new, sustainable building culture.

Therefore, we develop and manufacture products that are safe, durable, environmentally friendly and where possible, made from renewable or recyclable resources.

Examples for this are:

  • roofs that have a light color in order to reflect heat and light, so that the roof cannot heat up and energy consumption for air condition is reduced.
  • light weight constructions have lower static requirements and therefore need less material and engery to be constructed.
  • roof systems with modern heat insulation systems reduce the energy consumption of a building.
  • green roofs, waterproofed with our root resistant TPO membranes bring nature back to areas that were sealed and unused in the past, contributing to a better micro-climate in the cities.
  • roof constructions with solar cells installed on them produce energy instead of consuming it. Thereby less conventional energy needs to be produced.
  • durable waterproofing systems ensure that a building lasts over a long time avoiding high consumption of materials and engery for replacement or maintenance.
  • recyclable materials such as our PE-based TPO can be reused after their life span. Our membranes are free of PVC.
  • fast and easy installation saves time and energy.
  • mechanically fixed roofing systems can be unmounted easily after the use of a building. Thinking of the life cycle of a building, this is an immense advantage at the end of the use, because the different products used can be separated again easily in order to become recycled.


Certifications and Memberships


Our KÖSTER TPO membranes provide the perfect conditions for a top certification for residential and commercial buildings as well as industrial buildings regarding the aspect of sustainable construction. Accordingly, KÖSTER is a member of the Institut für Bauen und Umwelt (IBU). From IBU, KÖSTER receives Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for the KÖSTER TPO membranes. These EPD contain all required data for an evaluation by certified companies such as DGNB (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen), Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), and Breeam (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology). With consistent positive evaluations for the extensive lifecycle, lack of plasticizers and excellent recyclability the material regularly gains Gold ratings (or even higher, with the DGNB) for buildings.

Member of the RAL Quality Association Flat Roof e.V.

The quality of a flat roof is determined by the combination of services, but also by the materials used for waterproofing, insulation, vapor barriers, bonding, fastenings, drainage, security and fire protection, as well as by the machines and equipment used for roof waterproofing.

The RAL flat roof quality mark is only awarded to services and products related to flat roofs that meet the special quality and safety standards and are regularly checked by certified persons. In short: the quality mark stands for a system of standardization, transparency and successful control.

More information about the quality mark with an interesting video on www.ral-flachdach.de (german).

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