BRE Environmental Assessment Method

"Sustainability is not a buzzword to us in the aluminium industry. It is a philosophical and cultural concept which we strive to incorporate into our everyday activities and are deeply committed to. As an industry we are convinced that we, and members of our value chain, have solutions to the many challenges faced by society, such as energy consumption, mobility, waste and climate change."

European Aluminium Technology Platform & VISION 2030

Committed to Sustainability

Smart is leading the way with the greenest manufacturing operation of its kind in the country. Smart is working towards a carbon neutral operation; we plan to achieve this through a combination of investment in efficient machinery effective environmental management systems, waste capture and recycling and the use of sustainable power generation.

BRE Green Guide

The Green Guide is part of BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) an accredited environmental rating scheme for buildings. The Green Guide contains more than 1500 specifications used in various types of building.
BRE provided a summary environmental rating - 'The Green Guide rating', which is a measure of overall environmental impacts based on wide range of environmental impact assessments. The environmental rankings are based on Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), using BRE's Environmental Profiles Methodology 2008. This data is set out as an A+ to E ranking system, where A+ represents the best environmental performance / least environmental impact, and E the worst environmental performance / most environmental impact.

BRE Functional Unit: Each building element is based on a ‘functional unit’. The functional unit provides essential information about the general attributes of each specification. All specifications included in the Green Guide will need to comply with this functional unit in order to ensure fair comparison. An example of the functional unit for domestic windows is shown below. There are no functional units for doors and the doors should are not be included in the BRE Environmental Rating Scheme. 'Double glazed window based domestic window model (1.48m high x 1.23m wide with a central mullion and one opening light), to satisfy Building Regulations and a U value of 1.8 W/m2K.'

Aluminium Windows BRE Rating: Aluminium Windows achieve some of the heighest green guide ratings. The BRE Green rating for aluminium windows is dependent on the average mass/metre length of profile. With lighter and slimmer sections achieving best ratings. With different calculations for domestic and commercial functional units:

• Domestic elements: First calculate the mass of aluminium (excluding beading) for the British Fenestration Rating Council (BFRC) standard domestic window; width 1.23m x height 1.48m; casement to one side. Divide this mass by 11.09 (the total length in metres of the frame) to give the average mass for 1 metre of profile.

• Commercial elements: First calculate the mass of aluminium (excluding beading) far a fixed pane window - 1.0m x 1.0m. Divide this mass by 4 (the total length in metres of the frame) to give the average mass for 1 metre of profile.

The Smart Green Guide tool performs the Green Guide calculations for various window profiles and systems. The calculator tool produces a Green Guide Certificate with the summary references and breakdown of the various environmental indices.