WICANDERS :: Amorim revestimentos, S.A.

What is Acrodur®?

Acrodur® is a next generation eco-friendly acrylic binder. Purely water based, it contains no solvents and no formaldehyde. Being a single component system, Acrodur® is easy to handle and process. Acrodur® based products stand out due to lower VOC emissions and an Improved Ecological Performance. It’s an innovative alternative to the classical reactive resins like Melamin-Formaldehyde and Polyurethane.
The Amorim Group and BASF have fully qualified and certified Acrodur® for cork agglomeration processes. Acrodur® technology contributes significantly to lower emissions during the production process and in finished goods - a major achievement in terms of Sustainable Development.

Cork flooring products and Eco-Efficiency:

Why is Eco-efficiency important?

An Eco-Efficiency analysis determines how eco-friendly a product or process is, when compared to similar product or process. It also shows its economic efficiency from the customer's point of view. It takes into consideration for example the amount of energy and other resources spent, as well as the level of green house gas emissions when producing, using and disposing of those products.
In 2007, BASF conducted an Eco-Efficiency study on several types of flooring products including Amorim Flooring cork products. The study's findings confirmed the superior Eco-Efficiency properties of cork flooring products, such as:

* A much more moderate consumption of resources (energy and raw materials) in order to produce the same units of flooring elements.
* Significantly lower contribution to global warming, due to lower emissions and CO2 retention in the natural material cork, especially compared to products like LVT Vinyl Flooring.
* Total ownership costs for the end customer: Cork floors allow for considerable reductions of room heating due to their thermal insulation properties.

Overall, the Improved Ecological Performance and the Eco-Efficiency portfolio (assuming similar flooring material prices) clearly show the superior Eco- Efficiency of the cork based flooring products.

Amorim flooring and sustainability:

Amorim’s cork products represent a unique balance between the creation of wealth and the protection of the environment. The cork industry is remarkably sustainable; it takes a natural raw material extracted cyclically from trees without ever harming them, and turns it into high value-added products while promoting the economic and social sustainability of areas at risk of desertification.
Furthermore the world’s cork oak forests’ role in fixing CO2, in preserving biodiversity and in fighting desertification is now recognized as both fundamental to, and a unique example of, true sustainable development.
Our products retain the CO2 that otherwise would be contributing to global warming.
The CO2 retention capabilities of Portugal’s cork forests are estimated to be as high as 5% of the country’s annual emissions, or 4.8 million tons per year.

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