Fabulous living - wooden furniture, which are awarded the Austrian Ecolabel, guarantee the lowest possible indoor air pollution, which creates an important condition for health and well-being in our living spaces. Especially for products that come into direct contact with the skin, it is important that they are health-friendly.
The Austrian company Scheucher Holzindustrie GmbH has held the EU Ecolabel for wooden floors since March 2023. This makes the company the first parquet manufacturer in Europe to be authorised to use this cross-border Ecolabel. It guarantees the environmental friendliness, durability and high quality of the labelled products. Read more about this here.
It is not only particularly important for school buildings that tested ("healthy") building materials are used in their construction and interior design. Building products with the Austrian Ecolabel guarantee health and well-being. Dr Thomas Belazzi pays particular attention to both. He is a recognised expert in ecological building and managing director of bauXund forschung und beratung gmbh in Vienna (www.bauxund.at).
In Austria, the federal government spends almost 1.3 billion euros a year on building construction projects. The money flows into the refurbishment, new construction, repair and maintenance of schools, hospitals, prisons and other public buildings. The construction-relevant guidelines of the Austrian Ecolabel play an important role here!
"Our service is working," says Sabine Wolfsgruber, Managing Director of umwelt service salzburg, the regional support agency, about the most successful year so far: in 2022, more than 700 consultations were completed by the advisory and support agency for corporate environmental and climate protection - the highest number since the independent association was founded. There was also strong demand for Ecolabel certifications.
When awarding construction contracts, public authorities can do a lot to raise awareness of the issues of climate protection and the circular economy, while at the same time reducing environmental impacts.
What is "circular economy building"? For example, the Austrian vivihouse project! This is characterised by a modular timber frame construction system. Only renewable raw materials are used for multi-storey buildings.
This is the mission Sto Österreich Ges.m.b.H. is on! Because the technology leader in the field of thermal insulation is pursuing a vision: to make built living spaces more humane and sustainable. One element of this is the StoTherm Wood composite thermal insulation system, which was certified with the Austrian Ecolabel in April 2022. Read more about it here!
Both together make linoleum, a sustainable floor covering. The company Gerflor GmbH produces DLW Linoleum. The aesthetically pleasing floor coverings, which have been awarded the Austrian Ecolabel, protect health and the climate.
Indoor air is an important factor in our well-being and health, as we spend up to ninety percent of our time inside buildings.
What should we pay attention to for healthy indoor air?
Thermal insulation of buildings saves fossil fuels and, by reducing CO2 emissions, helps to prevent the earth from overheating. Exterior walls are therefore provided with insulating materials and covered with weather protection (plaster or similar). The two combined make up: a composite thermal insulation system.
Wooden furniture has a unique look and contributes to the comfort of interiors. However, the use of wood from sustainable forest management is also an important contribution to the protection of our environment. The Austrian Ecolabel also guarantees that other comprehensive criteria are observed in the production, use and disposal of the furniture.
And it shines every day. The Austrian company GREENoneTEC supplies the best technology for converting the sun's rays into energy. The world market leader in the field of thermal flat-plate collectors is also the only Austrian collector manufacturer to bear the Austrian Ecolabel. And exports from Carinthia all over the world. Read more about an Austrian success story here.
Whether new construction or renovation - the klimaaktiv building standard gives you a good orientation for your building project. It stands for high living comfort and low energy costs at the same time
"We use raw materials very carefully and sparingly. For our products, we use high-quality materials that last for decades. Especially as a family business we think in terms of generations: Environmental protection is important to us as a family, but as a globally active company we are also committed to the future of our planet."
Harreither GmbH is a family business founded in 1982 and based in Gaflenz, Upper Austria. The company is successfully engaged in the development and manufacture of plastic pipes and fittings for surface heating & cooling as well as drinking water systems with the highest quality requirements.
At the Austrian furniture manufacturer, people, furniture and the environment form a team - and that for a lifetime. Read more about TEAM 7, an exceptional Austrian family business.
"AIRIUM - Insulation redefined". This slogan of the company AIRIUM GmbH in Vienna (www.airium.at) conveys well their philosophy: In the future of building environmentally friendly insulation materials will play a major role. With them energy can be saved, because they actively protect against overheating in summer and against cold in winter. The contribution of insulation materials to climate protection should therefore not be underestimated.
New construction - renovation - climate protection - biodiversity at the building? These are not contradictions, but potential synergies!
New construction - renovation - climate protection and species conservation on the building? Now it's time to get wild!
On the occasion of 30 years of the Austrian Ecolabel, a discussion event with Salzburg carpenters, the Umwelt Service Salzburg and an Ecolabel consultant took place at the Messe Bauen und Wohnen 2020 in Salzburg.
Greened facades and roofs reduce heat loss in buildings in winter and cool architecture in summer. But plants on balconies and terraces also contribute to the well-being of the climate. Read more about this here!
The new kindergarten building (timber construction) in Poppenweiler (near Ludwigsburg, Germany) serves as a role model for child- and family-friendly architecture: bright and variedly designed rooms in combination with simple, consistently used materials.
The Ecolabel licensee Dietzel supplied a total of 64 kilometres of halogen-free electrical installation material without plasticisers and heavy metal stabilisers.
The Ecolabel licensee Fa. Graggaber is a wood processor with special focus on native mountain larch (Larix decidua), which was excellently processed on a 650 m2 terrace floor in the yoga hotel Soami in Obermillstatt.
Parts of the facade of a Gründerzeit house in Vienna were insulated with hemp fibre insulation boards from the Ecolabel licensee Capatect from Perg (Synthesa Group). As a result, massive savings in energy and resources could be achieved and sound insulation was significantly improved.
"Get out of oil and gas" programme will be continued - a total of around two billion euros will be available until 2026.
La vita, our life, takes place 90 percent within our own four walls. In order for us to feel comfortable there, the choice of wall paints and varnishes that are not harmful to health is particularly important. The AVIVA wall paints and the interior glaze LIGNOVIT Interior UV 100 from the traditional Tyrolean company ADLER are the right decisions in this respect, because both have been awarded the Austrian Ecolabel since 2013.
At Paletten Winter GmbH from Hof am Leithagebirge used transport pallets are converted into ecologically responsible, cool furniture. Exactly: Keyword "Upcycling"! Therefore we talked to Andrea Winter, who is responsible for the design of the pallet furniture "Made in Austria".
Panel discussion on 11 November at 4.30 pm on the stage of the BAUEN & WOHNEN Vienna trade fair. Six representatives from politics, business, science and society discussed the possibilities for consumers to recognise greenwashing in the building sector:
