The building envelope as a central lever for sustainability and performance​

The IoF ID (Internet of Façades) is a smart digital solution developed specifically for building operators to manage façade assets. A scannable label with a QR code or NFC chip provides access to all relevant information about installed building-envelope elements, including materials, system details and maintenance history.​

For operators, the IoF ID enables more resource-efficient management through optimised maintenance cycles and product upgrades, helping extend system service life. It also facilitates end-of-life recycling: each element is clearly documented, can be separated by material type and returned to the appropriate material cycle.​

Combined with Schüco Carbon Control, the IoF ID helps operators manage buildings efficiently and sustainably—from installation through to recycling—by providing reliable data across the façade life cycle.​

Cradle to Cradle is both a design concept and a certification framework. It aims to create materials and products that can be fully recycled or returned to biological or technical cycles. Unlike the traditional “cradle-to-grave” model, it seeks to retain material quality over repeated use, conserving valuable resources and reducing CO₂ emissions.​

For investors, Cradle to Cradle certification helps demonstrate alignment with EU circular-economy requirements. Certified building and façade systems also preserve material value, acting as the raw-material banks of the future. Certification requires all system materials to remain recyclable at a consistently high level of quality. This supports environmental goals while delivering long-term economic benefits through resource efficiency and more future-ready real estate.​

Schüco offers selected Cradle to Cradle Certified® systems at Bronze and Silver levels to support circularity, reduce carbon emissions and create high-quality, future-ready buildings.​

The EU Taxonomy is a common classification system for environmentally sustainable economic activities. It helps investors, companies and financial institutions make informed decisions by defining which activities contribute substantially to EU climate and environmental goals, including carbon reduction and the transition to a circular economy.​

It covers six objectives: climate-change mitigation; climate-change adaptation; sustainable use and protection of water resources; transition to a circular economy; pollution prevention and control; and protection of biodiversity and ecosystems. An activity can qualify as sustainable if it supports at least one objective while doing no significant harm to the others. For investors, the framework provides greater clarity on which investments are environmentally sound and economically viable over the long term.​

BREEAM stands for Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method. Introduced in 1990, it is a widely recognised framework for assessing the sustainability performance of real estate. BREEAM evaluates factors including energy and water use, construction and materials, occupant health and comfort, and environmental impacts across the building life cycle. It also highlights opportunities to improve a property’s environmental performance.​

For investors, BREEAM certification provides a credible indicator of a property’s sustainability. It can increase appeal to environmentally conscious tenants and buyers, while lower operating costs may support stronger long-term returns.​

EPD stands for Environmental Product Declaration. It is a standardised document that reports the environmental characteristics of a specific construction material using data. It covers the material’s entire life cycle—from raw-material extraction and production to use and end-of-life—and includes indicators such as global warming potential (GWP), assessed in relation to the material and design.​

For investors, EPDs provide essential data for environmental building assessments and certification. They support both sustainability evaluation and long-term value retention. Schüco enables transparent assessment and documentation through profile-specific EPDs and project-specific CO₂ calculations.​​