TFI research institute presents itself at FSB 2023

The TFI is the institute for research, testing and certification in Europe for building products for the equipping and design of interiors. With their developments, the employees of the institute design the future and enable manufacturers of building and furnishing products to produce responsibly and sustainably – for living and working tomorrow.

The pre-competitive research of the TFI extends over the entire life cycle, from the use of raw materials through manufacture, installation and use to recycling at the end of the use phase. One area of focus is the optimisation of processes with regard to production speed, flexibility and absence of errors. It is primarily the aspects of quality, ecology and economy as well as their interactions that are illuminated.

In the framework of the joint research, the Research Council of Textiles (FKT) finances extensive, multi-year research programmes with funds of the German Federation of Industrial Research Associations (AiF) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWi). The European Union and the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia also sponsor projects that provide the industry with new impulses as product and technology innovations.

As an institute at the RWTH Aachen University, the TFI is also active in teaching and thus contributes to the training of junior staff for the industry. The committees of the TFI are the member assembly, the board, the advisory council and the scientific advisory council.

The "Product Pass Sustainability" provides a clearly structured overview of the central properties of a building product verified by the TFI. The sustainability performances of products are assigned to the corresponding certification systems DGNB, LEED, BREEAM as well as Cradle to Cradle and independently evaluated. The Product Pass Sustainability should, however, not be seen as a substitute for certification should this be possible in the various systems for buildings or products.

The result: clear savings of time and costs in the planning process – and this both for the planners and clients as well as for the companies, because the extremely time-consuming comparison of product data with the respective criteria of the certification systems is dispensed with.

Planners can see at a glance how the use of a particular building product will impact the sustainability of the project in concrete terms. An important advantage of the new product pass in comparison to already existing product information systems: the TFI, as an independent third party, assumes responsibility for the inspection of the documents and the evaluation of the criteria – only then are these issued to the client.

The "Product Pass Sustainability" developed by TFI Aachen GmbH offers an intelligent, easy-access solution for communication between manufacturers, clients and architects.

Further information on the "Product Pass Sustainability" on Wednesday, 25 October 2023, as of 1:30 p.m. in the context of the IAKS congress 2023.