Green Builder Media CEO Sara Gutterman talks with Uponor North America brand and sustainability director Ingrid Mattsson about the company's ESG roadmap and how radiant heating, PEX plumbing, and residential fire sprinklers cut energy and water use in the home.
00:00:07:23 - 00:00:21:29
Sara Gutterman: Hi, I'm Sarah Gutman, CEO of Builder Media, and I'm here with one of my favorite people in the industry, Ingrid Madsen, director of brand and sustainability in North America. Tell me about sustainability initiatives.
00:00:22:06 - 00:00:46:08
Ingrid Mattsson: The last 20 years, I see that sustainability program has been much more integral to our strategy. It's part of our businesses, and we now think sustainability in our manufacturing and all of our community relations efforts. It just feels like it's part of our process all together. And certainly we're thinking circularity when it comes to scrap or when it comes to packaging.
00:00:46:10 - 00:01:18:15
Ingrid Mattsson: But the biggest news this year is the fact that we are going to be announcing a ESG roadmap later this year. Certainly, we're working on our carbon footprint. We're working on our product transparency through through creating or environmental product declarations, and certainly the health of our supply chain, our commitment to society and more. And I believe, you know, we're committed to our science based targets, which is a 70% reduction in our own operations and 20% in our supply chain by 2027.
00:01:18:16 - 00:01:23:14
Ingrid Mattsson: And that includes 100% renewable within our within our own operations.
00:01:23:15 - 00:01:29:03
Sara Gutterman: So tell me about the energy efficiency of radiant systems and talk about the net cost.
00:01:29:04 - 00:01:54:18
Ingrid Mattsson: When you're talking about radiant for heating, it's a really different experience than the basic forced air systems that people in America have been living with so very long. And for context, radiant floor heating is a warm feet, cool head experience. Warm water runs through the PEX tubing that is serpentine, under the concrete, under the floors, or in a concrete slab of a home, and it makes the entire floor an efficient and extremely comfortable radiator.
00:01:54:20 - 00:02:25:17
Ingrid Mattsson: The heat stays where the people are not at the ceiling, so you're not paying for wasted heat, and there's less allergens or particles flying around like you have in a forest inner system. So as you've noted, the homeowner saves on energy use and therefore saves money in the running of a radiant system. And an additional thought is, if the homeowner in a home has a radiant system that's currently run on fossil fuels, they can make to a jump to more decarbonization without any major changes to the systems.
00:02:25:19 - 00:02:31:24
Sara Gutterman: Or offers important water management systems within a home. Can you tell me about advanced plumbing systems?
00:02:31:27 - 00:02:57:27
Ingrid Mattsson: So is our part of our sustainability roadmap. We're committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Sustainability Development Goals and SG number six in particular, which speaks to clean water. We're very conscious of the fact that we need to protect and serve this precious resource. Our systems are designed to to get water to the destination with efficiency and with little is with as little waste as possible.
00:02:58:03 - 00:03:35:03
Ingrid Mattsson: And of course, our pipe is proven throughout the trade for faster and easier installations. One of the best benefits of pets over coppers. And it doesn't pit or corrode, so it lasts longer than a metal system and it doesn't form scale buildup. So there's no reason to upsize the system in order to compensate for future flow restriction. So again, like with heating, another consideration to think about from a sustainability side is for every foot of pipe that we eliminate by using the logic plumbing system versus traditional home run systems, it has a direct impact on the amount of water needed for the home.
00:03:35:03 - 00:03:47:07
Ingrid Mattsson: So we also look at pipe sizing, and we reduce the size of the pipe wherever we can to reduce energy and water consumption. So again, sustainability efficiency being part of our whole design process.
00:03:47:09 - 00:03:57:06
Sara Gutterman: Finally, let's explore fire risk mitigation. Tell me about your fire protection solutions and why they're so essential in an increasingly water parched world.
00:03:57:07 - 00:04:23:11
Ingrid Mattsson: In 2000, opener launched a really unique and smart way to basically enhance your plumbing system to include a residential fire sprinkler system. The purpose of a residential fire sprinkler system is to allow time for the inhabitants to escape the property. The materials used in our homes these days and in our furnishings can be very, very flammable and is approximately 2600 deaths a year in US home.
00:04:23:11 - 00:04:54:01
Ingrid Mattsson: Fire shows us smoke detectors may not be enough to wake people up from a deep sleep in order to escape, the fire sprinkler system activates through heat, so fire is going in particular area that local fire sprinkler will release and putting out that fire. If a fire does start within your home, fire sprinkler system would be the best defense and help in helping one escape that potentially deadly situation to save your own life and potentially save the property.