1089: EcoShowcase

EcoShowcase
Index: 

SEPTEMBER 2013

24: EcoShowcase Birmingham, Villa Park
BrianSpecMan speaking 

October 2013

15: EcoShowcase Liverpool, Devonshire House Hotel
BrianSpecMan speaking

November 2013

5: EcoShowcase Leeds, The Royal Armouries
BrianSpecMan speaking

26: EcoShowcase London, The Emirates
BrianSpecMan speaking

December 2013

3: EcoShowcase Cardiff, Cardiff City Stadium
BrianSpecMan speaking

Outline of presentations

Liability v Sustainability

PII providers proactively advise us to read liability alerts, bre digests, scrutinize the data, follow manufacturers instruction but most importantly never be on the cutting edge.

At the same time we are bombarded with new legislation, driven by EU, towards a more benign existence on this planet.

We are driven into trying novel equipment e.g. MVHR; methods of construction e.g. Breathing walls; and new materials e.g. aerogels, with or without long UK track record and fundamentally without personal know-how as a comfort blanket.

We will present 2 recent building defects case law (GSHP and fractured supply chain) and case study (‘REACH-compliant’ or ‘low-phthalate’ PVC flooring/skirting, polymer migration leading to adhesion failure, shrinkage and dirt trap) to help you understand this brave new world and offer a building defects & liability avoidance strategy for everyday use.

BrianSpecMan
5th July 2013 

Exhibition Exhibitor Entry

Gemini are manufacturers of adhesives and flexible extrusions which guarantee a cleaner, less toxic and more sustainable approach to finishing resilient flooring installations.

Resilient flooring is used in hospitals and schools and other areas where ease of cleaning is an important factor in their selection.  It is vital that flooring of this type is finished with effective flexible cap and coving systems to ensure that cleaning at the edges is possible throughout the life of the installation.  If these finishes fail they are harbours for potentially dangerous microbes as well as being difficult and expensive to repair and replace.  In recent years these hitherto effective systems have increasingly been seen to fail through shrinkage of the capping strips and a breakdown of the adhesive bond.

Gemini are acknowledged leaders in adhesive technologies and supply the world with our products.  We have undertaken extensive research into the reasons behind the failures and have developed reliable and innovative products as a result.  Our analysis has been carried out by our own laboratories as well as by independent sources such as the REACH Centre at Lancaster University and SATRA Technology.  Our conclusions were that the problems were arising due to some of the  plasticisers contained within the pvc capping and coving migrating out of the product at certain temperatures leading to shrinkage at the joints and adhesive breakdown.  The traditional pvc plasticisers are substances known collectively as phthalates some of which are considered to be extremely hazardous to human health and to the environment.  We have found significant content of phthalates listed on the” REACH Substances of Very High Concern” list in some of the more popular capping and coving brands at levels at which the law requires customers to be notified of their presence.  Phthalates are in general subject to extremely close scrutiny by the chemicals regulation bodies and some are pressing for their complete removal from the market.  Therefore it is likely that some manufacturers are actively changing the traditional plasticiser content of their products with the result that some are no longer fit for purpose in all installation types. 

Our response has been the development and manufacture of the Gemini Phthalate free capping and coving flexible profile.  This contains a proven non phthalate plasticiser which has a migration and shrinkage resistant characteristics and has an excellent health and safety profile being approved for use in medical devices and food packaging.  The product has been fully assessed by toxicology experts and appears as a case study on the European Subsport web site www.subsport.eu.  The pvc may also be recycled at the end of its life in the knowledge that the recycled product will not contain substances that may well be withdrawn from the market on safety grounds.

The capping and coving profiles are easy to install and are scuff resistant and are very price competitive.  Over 300,000 linear metres have been sold since initial launch in early 2013.  The products have been extensively tested for performance together with our Grabfast® adhesive products and the use of the two together come with a five year warranty subject to normal approved installation methods.  In addition we have developed a Grabfast® Water Based adhesive with a recyclable aluminium container that we will gladly recover from customers for re-use thereby cutting waste and improving our environmental impact.

Gemini – “Safer – Cleaner – Superior – Greener”