Environmental Impact of Buildings: How to Calculate and Communicate It

Why We Are So Proud of the “Back Side” of Our Flooring

The incorporation of recycled and renewable materials requires significant technological innovation.

While many resilient flooring products are homogeneous, meaning they consist of a single material layer throughout their thickness, Artigo has adopted a heterogeneous two-layer technology.

This technical solution makes it possible to incorporate high percentages of recycled material directly into the “back side” of the flooring—the lower layer—while ensuring excellent acoustic insulation, impact absorption, and a high level of sustainability.

At the same time, it preserves the aesthetic versatility, design freedom, and long-term durability of the upper wear layer.

How Can the Environmental Impact of a Building Be Reduced?

Reducing the carbon footprint of a project requires a holistic vision from the earliest design stages.

Creating low-impact buildings involves adopting an integrated approach that combines environmental performance, efficiency, and occupant well-being.

Design for Disassembly

To address the enormous volume of construction waste generated at the end of a building’s life cycle, sustainable architecture increasingly focuses on designing buildings whose components—including flooring systems—can be easily dismantled, separated, and recycled, thereby supporting a genuine circular economy.

Adoption of Green Building Protocols

Designing according to international certification frameworks, or following emerging approaches such as the Green Plus Building model developed by the University of Milano-Bicocca, maximizes environmental performance while ensuring high standards of comfort and well-being.

Selection of Sustainable and Healthy Materials

Giving preference to products equipped with Environmental Product Declarations and compliant with Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM) is essential.

In innovative companies such as Artigo, this commitment translates into the development of flooring manufactured with bio-attributed rubber, incorporating recovered materials and ensuring extremely low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions.

These performances are certified by internationally recognized organizations such as Blauer Engel and Greenguard Gold, significantly improving indoor air quality.

Passive and Active Energy Efficiency

The use of high-performance insulating materials, intelligent shading systems, and the integration of renewable energy sources contributes to the development of nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEBs).

Durability as an Environmental Parameter

A sustainability-oriented design strategy should prioritize longevity, reducing the need for future renovations and limiting the consumption of additional resources and materials over time.

Renovation of Existing Building Stock

Consistent with EEA recommendations, prioritizing intelligent renovation over new construction is crucial for reducing land consumption and minimizing emissions associated with construction activities.

Choosing partners and materials that guarantee rigorous measurement methods and transparency is the first step toward creating efficient, healthy, and future-ready spaces, transforming regulatory requirements into genuine opportunities for strategic development.

ROI, Greenwashing, and Carbon Storytelling

Investing in sustainability is not only a way to protect the environment; it also generates a clear economic return on investment (ROI).

Green buildings benefit from what is commonly known as the “Green Premium”: they achieve significant reductions in operating and maintenance costs, increase their market value, and enjoy preferential access to financial incentives and funding opportunities.

However, the value generated by sustainability initiatives must be communicated correctly.

As highlighted by the international architecture firm Gensler, the ability to develop effective Carbon Storytelling has become an essential competency.

This narrative approach transforms complex technical data—such as the Global Warming Potential (GWP) values reported in Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)—into meaningful stories that clearly illustrate tangible benefits for both communities and the environment.

Grounding Carbon Storytelling in rigorous scientific data provided by tools such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) represents the most effective safeguard against greenwashing.

Communicating sustainability through verifiable certifications builds trust among stakeholders, encourages responsible investment decisions, and transforms regulatory compliance into a powerful competitive advantage.

The Role of SBTi Validation

This is where SBTi Validation (Science Based Targets initiative) comes into play.

Promoted by international organizations including the United Nations Global Compact and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), SBTi certification verifies that a company’s emissions reduction targets—covering Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions—are scientifically aligned with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, particularly the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

Artigo has recently obtained this rigorous validation for its decarbonization plan through 2031.

For architects, designers, and facility managers, choosing business partners certified by SBTi means incorporating materials into their supply chain whose “carbon story” is supported by unquestionable data and a concrete commitment to global climate action.

Design the Future Responsibly

Choosing sustainable materials, rigorously measuring their environmental impact, and communicating the results transparently are the first steps toward creating healthier spaces that are prepared to meet the climate challenges of the future.

By doing so, regulatory requirements are transformed into a genuine competitive advantage.

Artigo’s range of rubber flooring solutions, manufactured using bio-attributed rubber, supports your sustainable architecture goals and helps you achieve valuable credits within internationally recognized certification schemes such as LEED and BREEAM.

By selecting innovative, transparent, and scientifically validated solutions, architects, designers, and facility managers can actively contribute to reducing the environmental impact of the built environment while delivering healthier, higher-performing, and more resilient spaces for future generations.