Those who chose EPDItaly tell their story: ABET Laminati

Interview with Sabrina Accolla, ABET Laminati’s Environmental Management System

Can you tell us about your company’s mission and the main activities it deals with?

Abet is one of the most important manufacturers of HPL high pressure decorative laminates, with over sixty years of history. Among its products it is also important to mention the CPL decorative laminates of the Foldline® line and the composite panels of the Metalleido division. ABET firmly believes in sustainable development and to demonstrate the commitment made to the environment, the Company adopts the Environmental Management System certified according to ISO 14001: 2015 and adopts the “Chain of Custody” schemes for the responsible and sustainable management of forests. The publication of the EPDs was a further step in communicating the environmental performance of its products in a transparent and truthful way.

Which product of your company obtained the Environmental Product Declaration? What are its main characteristics?

ABET has obtained publication for two product groups: PRINT HPL Thin and HPL Compact. The difference between the two product groups lies in the thickness. PRINT HPL Thin has thicknesses between 0.6 mm and 2 mm, HPL Compact has thicknesses between 2 mm and 30 mm. Decorative laminates are panels made of layers of cellulosic fiber material (kraft paper) and one or more surface layers of decorative paper both impregnated with thermosetting resins and joined together through a high pressure and temperature process. Thanks to their significant technical characteristics, aesthetic quality and the wide range of decorations and textures available, PRINT HPL decorative laminates are suitable for a wide variety of internal applications and are used in various contexts: private homes, hospitals and laboratories, transport , public and private buildings and structures, industrial plants. The HPL Compact group also includes laminates for outdoor use, characterized by a high resistance to direct exposure to sunlight and bad weather like rain and hail.

What are the advantages obtained by the Environmental Product Declaration for your company? What do you think the impact on the final consumer is?

The Environmental Declaration is obtained starting from an LCA study, which in practice translates into a more careful monitoring of the parameters involved, such as raw materials, energy consumption, emissions, etc., and in the possibility of modifying them and directly viewing the new results of the environmental performance for EPD. The company has also obtained validation of the EPD creator tool which allows it to develop EPD for the entire range of products included. This is indeed the case of the EPD for the HPL Compact. EPDs are a tool not only for the company, but also for customers who have an easy-to-interpret document containing reliable information. The EPD also allow to facilitate the designer who wants to obtain a building certification.

Do you think Epditaly can contribute to spreading the culture of product sustainability?

Thanks to the international visibility it enjoys, the EPDItaly brand offers the market a tool capable of spreading the sustainability of products. Through business to business and business to consumer communication, an information exchange network is created that on the one hand stimulates producers to pursue the improvement of their environmental performance, and on the other hand promotes the sustainability of products on the market.