Environmental Policy
The CompactHabit's general policy includes the following environmental principles, as a consequence of the importance the company attributes to the environment:
1. Environmental protection requires that we all behave responsibly.
2. The main mission of our environmental protection policy is to reduce the environmental impact resulting from the execution of a construction project.
3. CompactHabit guarantees compliance with the current legal requirements on environmental matters.
4. We periodically revise our actions in environmental protection.
5. We are committed to following an ongoing improvement process in this matter.
6. We invest in the means to be trained in and informed of the environmental aspects of our activity.
7. We aim to disclose this environmental sensitivity to others that take part in the process.
8. We offer significant environmental information about our company to the interested public.
Environmental Plan
Our objective is to reconcile company growth with caring for the social milieu and protecting the environment.
CompactHabit was started with the clear objective of optimizing and improving construction, from a technical, environmental and human point of view. Based on this premise, the company has been committed to sustainable growth since it began. Therefore, since production started in 2009, a variety of actions have been developed with the objective of implementing the following measures:
1. Reduction of CO2 emissions
2. Reduction of waste
3. Improvements in efficiency based on savings
4. Presentation of the measures adopted regarding the environment to our direct and indirect staff
To carry out the whole strategy, the environmental management system is constantly being devised and improved.
Improvements in the energy systems
There are three improvements implemented regarding energy systems:
- An electric power production installation consisting of photovoltaic panels has been implemented.
- The whole energy system, which is mainly centered on electricity, has been analyzed and as a consequence is continuously being improved in terms of lighting control and the efficiency of the points of light.
- Energy control indicators have been installed that allow decisions to be made to improve efficiency and general efficiency objectives to be set.
The implementation of the industrialized building system of CompactHabit® proves, through the data obtained in production since 2009 and the statistical data of traditional construction, that it is causing significant changes in building methods and, obviously, in environmental, productive, economic and human results.
In addition, CompactHabit® produces greater amounts of energy than it consumes. Therefore it helps the productive system be sustainable in terms of energy to a great extent. Only 35% of the energy generated is consumed. In the vast majority of cases of traditional construction, photovoltaic panels or other renewable energy sources cannot be used. Therefore, the energy necessary for the construction of buildings is generated through other methods that increase the production of CO2.
Improvements in waste
The offsite production system of CompactHabit® differs from traditional construction systems in particular as it is executed in a closed and controlled area, where the resource optimization criteria are related to productivity, order and quality. Clearly, the whole waste management process is easier and more efficient and can be evaluated from two points of view:
- Efficiency compared to traditional construction systems.
- Note that in an CompactHabit® offsite industrialized building, 30% of the work is executed on-site, where there is hardly any waste, corresponding to the stages of joining modules, connecting building services and applying the final touches to some finishings.
Comparisons with traditional construction can vary according to the architectural typology. It is important to underline the fact that part of the waste generated with CompactHabit®'s system can be recycled; therefore, the real data is even better:
- In the industrial processes, the company applies a policy of separating waste with the annual aim of reducing the kg produced per m2 constructed. A system of recycling excess concrete internally for other uses is being introduced and the reuse of wastewater generated in the concrete area is being planned.
- CompactHabit®’s statistics indicate that of the more than 1000 modules constructed, all of them have been satisfactory. This characteristic enormously reduces waste.
