environmental management system (EMS) At TAKTL, we take a rigorous approach to managing our environmental impact – measuring progress, auditing results and setting the bar higher each year. Our products have exceptional lifetime performance, backed by a team experienced in both environmental engineering and green building standards. TAKTL maintains a comprehensive Environmental Management System (EMS) to establish, monitor and reduce company environmental impacts. The EMS is audited and updated annually and new goals are assigned for the coming year. Key aspects of the full Environmental Plan (EMP) are summarized here. Please contact us if you would like more information about our EMP and our progress.
program oversight + verification TAKTL has been able to draw upon the expertise of the Green Design Institute (GDI) at Carnegie Mellon University to develop its Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) program. GDI is an internationally recognized research, education, and consulting organization that forms partnerships with companies, governmental organizations, and foundations to develop pioneering design, management, manufacturing, and regulatory processes to improve environmental and product quality. Dr. Michael Griffin, Executive Director of GDI provides our internal team of environmental engineers both consultation and third party oversight for TAKTL’s LCA development, environmental impact reporting, and overall Environmental Management Program. For more information about GDI: www.ce.cmu.edu/greendesign
life cycle assessment | carbon footprint | environmental impact TAKTL is vertically integrated and its raw materials are very close to the extraction point, giving us the unique opportunity to directly control and measure the environmental impact of each ingredient and process. A complete Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) utilizes the internationally recognized SimaPro LCA and Carbon Footprint software and databases. TAKTL’s ultra-high strength means thinner profiles, with less material required to achieve the same result, and a final product that is lighter is weight. Reduced material weight reduces environmental impact during manufacture, packaging, shipping, transport, and installation. When used as façade panels, this lighter weight can also translate into substantial material savings and cost in the structure foundation and core.
Extreme matrix density extends the lifetime of TAKTL products. The strength of TAKTL comes in large part from the exceptionally strong bonds and low porosity of the material, which effectively block out contaminants like water and salt that can compromise the long term performance of many traditional materials used in facades and urban elements.
resource efficiency Natural gas and electricity are the primary energy sources used at our facility. TAKTL has been conceived from the outset as a sourcing and manufacturing process that is both energy efficient and uses very little water (5% vs. 12% for typical GFRC formulations and 20% for conventional concrete). Local materials, local manufacturing and lower material requirements (less weight) minimize energy associated with extraction, as well as inbound and outbound shipping.
waste management + emissions It helps to have recruited a team of like-minded environmentalists, who just naturally take on waste & emissions minimization as a collective priority. Having designed the entire proprietary manufacturing process, from the measurement and movement of raw materials through curing and post-processing, we have been able to make it enclosed and continuous, minimizing waste streams and cleaning. As an example, a water purification system collects utility water through a plant-wide network of floor drains and moves it to a centralized filtration system, where it undergoes a purification process.
environmental health + safety At TAKTL, employee safety and well-being are our top priorities. We utilize a comprehensive Injury and Illness Prevention Program that exceeds federal and state OSHA standards and helps steer our Environmental Health and Safety Policies. For example, every material brought into TAKTL, from new pigments or coatings to test supplies and raw materials, is closely controlled through our chemical approval process. Unlike most concrete manufacturing facilities, our production processes are closed, automated, and very low dust, producing low VOC’s and no harmful wastewater, and posing low risk to our employees and the environment. TAKTL has a strong sense of social and environmental responsibility and works to protect and support the communities where we live and work. For environmental health and safety, as well as all aspects of our business, our goal is to be exceptional.
