In response to the increasing awareness of the positive environmental aspects of geosynthetics and geosystems, TenCate Geosynthetics - business unit Water & Environment - has developed the TenCate Geotube carbon footprint calculator for use with dewatering and breakwater applications. This CO2 footprint calculator provides water management customers with background information on several sustainability aspects.
Based on factual market and database information, TenCate Geosynthetics has developed and produced a carbon footprint calculator to determine the CO2 footprint of sludge dewatering projects and of hydraulic structures for breakwater applications, to be built with the durable TenCate Geotube systems. TenCate Geosynthetics has been working together with Sustain, the independent environmental accounting agency from the United Kingdom, which validated this innovative calculator.
Benchmarking water management solutions
The total footprint of an application is determined by using the independently validated database information on the impact of various factors, including types of transport, transport distances, and energy consumption by country. Within the calculator it is also possible to compare the solution that uses the TenCate Geotube system with other dewatering solutions respectively hydraulic structures, based on information provided by the customer.
Positive impact on the environment
Based on its sustainability policy, TenCate continues to display the positive impact of advanced geosynthetics and geosystems on sustainability and the environment at large, thanks to the limited CO2 footprint of these durable solutions.
Alternatives to geosynthetics and geosystems are usually traditional materials such as concrete, stones and steel, which often have to be transported as heavy loads over long distances. By opting for geosynthetics, by contrast, locally available materials - such as sand or sediments - can be used, which drastically reduces the overall carbon footprint of a TenCate Geotube based project.
