Tuesday, September 29, 2020

More IPG Products Achieve Cradle to Cradle Certification

 


IPG is pleased to announce two additional product lines have achieved Cradle to Cradle Certification™


In an ongoing effort to provide the market with sustainable packaging alternatives, IPG has implemented the demanding standards held under the Cradle to Cradle certification process. William McDonough and Dr. Michael Braungart first introduced Cradle to Cradle® as a circular design philosophy in the 1990s. Together, they founded the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute in 2010. The institute is a non-profit organization whose mission is dedicated to transforming the safety, health and sustainability of products through the administration of the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product Standard.

Cradle to Cradle Certification is a rigorous auditing process across five critical performance categories: material health, material reuse, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness. A product is assigned an achievement level (Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) for each category. A product’s lowest category achievement also represents its overall certification level.


ExlfilmPlus® Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver


In July 2020, IPG ExlfilmPlus performance shrink films were Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver. ExlfilmPlus polyolefin shrink film is the first Cradle to Cradle certified shrink film in the world. Exlfilmplus films are crosslinked, providing customers with a stronger film capable of working on a wider variety of equipment and sealing systems.

NovaShield® Cradle to Cradle Certified Bronze


In August 2020, NovaShield Structure Membrane products were awarded Cradle to Cradle certification and became the first structure membrane fabric in the world to be Cradle to Cradle Certified. NovaShield Structure Membrane products are used to construct fabric buildings for all climates. Featuring a patented weave which produces impressive strength-to-weight ratios, NovaShield's lighter weight makes for easier, faster, money-saving installations.



Water-Activated Tape Cradle to Cradle Certified Bronze


In February of this year, IPG’s Natural Kraft Water-Activated Tape (also known as WAT or Gum Tape) was Cradle to Cradle Certified Bronze. All of IPG’s WAT is recyclable with the carton it is applied on. Cartons are one of the most widely recycled packaging products in use today. When you use IPG’s WAT tape to seal the carton, the paper from the tape contributes to the recycling stream with the corrugate. 



Doing Our Part for a Sustainable Future


With a keen eye toward validating and continuously improving our process, and our overall stewardship of the industry we serve, IPG is committed to sharing our progress and doing our part to uphold the promise of the UN global compact through the implementation of the Cradle to Cradle Certification design principles.

The Material Health Category requires IPG to evaluate all chemicals down to 100 parts per million to determine each chemical’s effect on human and environmental health. Cradle to Cradle Certification requires products to contribute to the Circular Economy, which means the product is able to be recycled and/or use recycled materials in its production. For Cradle to Cradle certified products, IPG’s Manufacturing was audited to ensure that both the Energy and Water Categories have minimal impact on the environment. Social Responsibility, the final category, requires IPG to be accountable to all stakeholders within the company and the communities where they conduct business. The standard encourages continuous improvement over time by awarding certification on the basis of ascending levels of achievement and requiring certification renewal every two years. These ongoing audits endeavor to ensure IPG’s customers receive a product that leads to a sustainable future.

To view IPG's 2019 Sustainability Report, click here.



Thursday, September 17, 2020

Installing Vapor Barriers and Vapor Retarders

 


What are Vapor Barriers?

Vapor barrier in basement/crawlspace

Vapor barriers and vapor retarders provide additional layers of protection in basements and crawlspaces, under foundations and concrete slab. They are important in saving time and money through the mitigation of moisture and air by reducing mold, musty odor, and water penetration. Examples of vapor barriers and vapor retarders include film, non-woven fabrics, and metalized or foil covered laminates. Each provides different properties including surface protection, reflective properties and vapor permeance (water vapor transmission).  

Installation with Vapor Barrier Tapes

To provide effective installation of vapor barriers and vapor retarders, pressure-sensitive vapor barrier tapes are important in sealing, repairing and seaming the vapor barriers or retarders during application. They are used to seal overlapped seams during installation, attach vapor barriers to the top of the footings and against the wall, repair damaged vapor barriers and installation cuts, and seal protrusions such as pipes, duct work, rebar or wire bundles.
Vapor barrier seaming in concrete underlayment application

Vapor barrier tapes used include those tapes providing low permeance, which include: polyethylene tapes of varying thickness providing conformability, polypropylene tapes with aggressive, low permeance adhesive systems, and aluminum foil tapes providing basically zero water vapor transmission.   

Compliance to specifications is essential to the effective installation of vapor barrier and vapor retarder systems. Some standards include ASTM E1643, ASTM 1745 and IRC 408. 


(IPG manufactures vapor barriers and vapor retarders. To learn more, please contact mwaltner@itape.com.)