ARGE, the European umbrella federation of associations of locks and hardware manufacturers, is holding its annual conference in the UK on September 10 and 11 with the Door & Hardware Federation (DHF).
Sustainability will be high on the conference agenda, the two organisations say. They are working together to provide the means for DHF hardware members to measure the environmental impact caused by the use of their products in buildings.
The introduction of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) across Europe makes provision for the declaration of the environmental impact of all construction products including building hardware. This enables architects and those involved in construction to make an informed choice of building hardware. This ensures that every building project is designed and built in such a way that the use of natural resources is sustainable and the carbon footprint is minimized over the life cycle of the building.
ARGE represents the interests of DHF and 14 other hardware trade associations in Europe and Scandinavia. It lobbies a number of European authorities and institutes including the influential European Committee of Standardisation (CEN) which sets standards under CPR.
Michael Skelding, general manager and secretary of the DHF, which represents UK manufacturers of locks and door hardware, said: “It will further cement the working partnership between the two organisations. This co-operation between us allows our members to manage the crucial changes needed to meet the sustainability requirements in CPR and help them compete successfully in the UK construction market.”
For more about ARGE and DHF visit www.arge.org and www.dhfonline.org.uk.
