Our partner, CCB Concrete, has recently been awarded its silver Cradle to Cradle certificate for ready-mixed concrete, the first company in the Benelux to do so. In their collaboration with Befimmo (for the ZIN project) they use a part of the rubble from the old WTC towers and transform it into new, high-grade concrete by means of an ingenious process. Ultimately CCB Concrete will transform and reuse up to approximately 30,000 tonnes of old concrete in ZIN.
ZIN’s circular concrete is awarded a silver C2C certificate
Cradle to Cradle (C2C)
The Cradle to Cradle philosophy is fully in line with the circular approach of ZIN. Here, sound materials are reused as new raw material or new product. This involves upcycling, the creation of added value. The international Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute has associated a sustainability label with this philosophy that is awarded to companies or products applying the C2C principle. In doing this, it takes account of the composition of the materials and their origin. There are five certification levels in all: basic, bronze, silver, gold and platinum. In addition, the product must meet the following five requirements: healthy and safe material use, reuse of materials, renewable energy and carbon management, water management, and social responsibility and biodiversity.
Cradle to Cradle and the ZIN project
Befimmo’s ZIN project is committed to the use of sustainable and low-polluting materials. Sixty-five percent of the existing materials are being retained, and the strict requirements of C2C certification are set for 97% of the new materials. To do this, Befimmo established a collaboration with CCB Concrete in its ZIN project to convert the rubble from the old WTC towers into new, high-grade concrete. Specifically, the demolished concrete is transported via the De Meuter processing centre to the site of All Belgian Recycling (ABR). There the rubble is stored and crushed to A+ aggregates. Those aggregates are delivered to CCB and incorporated into new concrete. That concrete is used again in ZIN itself as compression screed. Through upcycling of these aggregates, among other things, the use of raw materials, the waste production and the environmental impact of transport decrease. We are therefore proud that in doing this, ZIN is contributing to further greening of the construction sector, and our partners want to actively take on their role in this.
