Designing Greener Playgrounds
Addressing the Climate Crisis
However vast nature may seem to us, nature also has limits. And more and more signs are telling us that we humans are crossing these limits.
Henrik Damgaard, CEO KOMPAN
Councils
We all know...
The urgency of the climate crisis calls for collective action. Traditional manufacturing methods contribute to environmental challenges. Our new playgrounds, crafted from recycled waste, are a step towards responsible production. By choosing options and materials with a greener profile, you actively participate in reducing carbon footprints, promoting a circular economy, and leaving a lasting impact on our planet.
Playground Design
Playgrounds as part of your strategy
Local governments create the heart of community engagement. Integrating greener playgrounds into your strategy fosters a vibrant environment for all and future generations. Our innovative solutions promote physical activity and contribute to a more responsible future, aligning with your commitment to community well-being.
Explore, Learn, Design: Greener Playgrounds
Read and learn more about our approach on working with recycled materials in playground components
The new look of a reduced carbon footprint
Architect Alexander Sundberg assures that TexMade™ posts and plastic alternatives, developed from textile waste and post-consumer sources, rival steel and plastic in durability. Playground solutions can be as colourful as your heart desires – but with a dramatically reduced carbon footprint.
Designing Greener Playgrounds
Welcome to a discussion on the evolving landscape of playgrounds – an essential aspect of childhood that now takes a turn towards responsible materials and practices.
In this magazine we'll delve deeper into the specifics of these materials, exploring the benefits they bring to playground design and their positive influence on the overall environmental footprint of these spaces.
"It is nice that we have created something that is fun for the children and has a low carbon emission impact."
Guido Orthen, Mayor of Bad Neuenarh-Ahrweiler
Replacement of raw materials
We continously work to reduce our usage of raw materials by replacing them and instead using recycled materials that emit fewer carbon emission. We work with a two-way approach: Made Green and Born Green.
Born Green
Born Green means products are made from natural hardwoods like Robinia. Robinia is highly durable and does not require any chemical wood preservatives. KOMPAN Robinia products are also available with a FSC® certification (C004450).
Made Green
Made Green products are made of up to 95% post-consumer recycled materials: ocean waste, used textiles, used plastic bags etc. Made Green products have approx. 50% reductions in carbon emissions compared to traditional products made from virgin sources.
Built to last
Highest quality materials
CircularHDPE panels
Our 19mm CircularHDPE panels are made from responsible materials that are not only recyclable after use but also made from >95% post-consumer recycled waste.
UV-protected coloured outer layers
Highly durable in any environment
Supported by a lifetime warranty
Decks & Steps
All our equipment decks are supported by uniquely designed low-carbon aluminium profiles with multiple attachment options, increasing their strength. Our grey-coloured moulded decks and steps are made from 75% post-consumer recycled polypropylene material with a non-skid pattern and textured surface.
Tempered Corocord™ rope with CircularYarn
Ropes come with galvanised six-stranded steel wires and a steel core, impossible to wear through. Each strand is tightly wrapped with CircularYarn in >95% post-consumer recycled material, which is melted onto each individual strand, making the ropes highly wear and vandalism-resistant.
Galvanised steel
Our steel surfaces and steel frames are hot-dip galvanised inside and outside with lead-free zinc. The galvanisation has excellent corrosion resistance in outside environments and is maintenance-free.
Roto-moulded items (e.g. slides and seats)
Our moulded plastic items are made from 33% post-consumer recycled material in all colours. The teal-coloured items are made from recycled fishing nets from the maritime industry. All items are moulded in one piece, providing strength and minimising weakness caused by joints.
Robinia wood
Robinia wood is a very strong and long-lasting material with a very high level of natural oils. Thus robinia wood makes durable playgrounds which are close to maintenance free and able to last for many years. KOMPAN robinia products can come with FSC®-certification (FSC C004450).
Posts
Main posts are available in five different materials.
1. Impregnated pine wood with an in-ground steel footing.
2. Galvanised steel with powder-coated top finish.
3. Colour-anodised lead-free aluminium, made from low-carbon aluminium.
4. TexMade™ posts are made from >95% postconsumer recycled textile and plastic waste.
5. Low-carbon pre-galvanised steel posts made from 80% post-consumer recycled material.
Q&A on recycled materials
All recycled qualities are better to use if the alternative is using new/virgin material. However, when choosing between a post-industrial or a post-consumer quality, the post-consumer type saves much more CO2e. It is a harder job to use post-consumer qualities. With post-consumer qualities, you must collect, sort, and clean the waste before it can be used again. But the material is saved and can be used again, saving the environment from new /virgin material entering our world and preventing the waste from going into the waste incineration or landfill.
KOMPAN is using narrower post-consumer waste streams, like used textiles, fishing nets, and food packaging post-consumer waste. We can control the quality better than if we used very broad waste. The household waste can be a mix of many different sources.
We only use suppliers with the highest quality standards. It is very important that the waste comes from high-quality suppliers. We have a close connection to our suppliers, visiting them regularly. We are also running tests of all materials we are using to ensure high quality. We do not compromise our high quality and safety standards; they fully apply also to our recycled material qualities.
The Ocean waste we use in our products originates from Europa and the Arctic oceans. It is based on post-consumer streams collected from the maritime industry, such as fishing nets, ropes and trawls.
UV protection is added to all our recycled qualities. Some of our post-consumer recycled materials have no added colour pigment; they are the natural colour from e.g. fishing nets. The colour may vary. We only add UV protection and keep the natural colour from, e.g., the fishing nets.
Want to talk about Greener Playgrounds?
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