Step by step and floor by floor to a sustainable future 

NEW: cementitious floor systems with EMICODE® EC1 PLUS certification

Following the motto 'Arturo. Floors for change', Arturo has taken important sustainability steps in recent years. Following on from a fully EMICODE® EC1 PLUS certified PU cast floor system, it is now introducing two cementitious floor systems with EMICODE® EC1 PLUS certification: Arturo Microcement and Arturo Concreta. Both systems guarantee clean and low-emission floors that not only meet the most stringent health and environmental requirements, but also give interiors a tough and natural base.

Arturo Concreta is a decorative and cementitious cast flooring system, which is well suited for a variety of spaces in the home, office or stores. The development of the product started back in 2017, when the concrete look became increasingly popular, says product manager Kelly Heuker of Hoek. "We responded to this with Arturo Concreta; a cast flooring system with the same decorative properties and layer thickness as a PU cast floor, but with a natural concrete look." The beauty of cementitious products is that they consist largely of natural materials (cement), she says. "This makes indoors feel a bit more like outdoors again."

Impact on people and the environment 

In 2021, Arturo also saw a rise in demand for stucco or smear products for floors, walls and furniture, which achieve an even more robust look. "We are responding to this as well, with Arturo Microcement," said Heuker of Hoek. "This too is a cement-based product and makes the craftsmanship of the professional highly visible. For example, thanks to clear color shades." 

Both Arturo Microcement and Arturo Concreta already meet basic EMICODE® EC1 PLUS requirements. "However, the flooring system is not complete without primer, scraper coat, impregnator and top coat. Sustainable product developments have enabled us to further improve and green these products to minimize the impact on people and the environment."

Highest emission class

To set the bar high, Arturo searched for the most stringent requirements within the construction industry. "That's how we ended up with the EMICODE® classification system," said Heuker of Hoek. EMICODE® assigns different emission levels (VOC emission levels) to building materials, ranging from EC1 PLUS (meeting the most stringent emission requirements) to EC1 (very low emission) and EC2 (low emission). "In 2019, EMICODE® came out with a guideline for cast flooring, which we immediately conformed to. Of course with the highest class (EC1 PLUS) as a starting point, with which we contribute to a healthy(er) indoor environment."

To achieve this class, Arturo first of all held its PU screed system up to the light. For example, an epoxy primer and an epoxy scraper layer were selected that are free of benzyl alcohol. A PU scraper coat was also developed, since PU has lower VOC emissions than epoxy anyway. "The efforts led to a fully EMICODE® EC1 PLUS certified PU screed system by 2023," says Heuker of Hoek. "Moreover, this was the starting signal for further improvement and sustainability, for example, of our cementitious floor systems. Because these systems can be processed based on the same type of products as our PU cast floor system, we can now
confidently say that the cementitious floor and wall systems also comply with EMICODE® EC1 PLUS."

Suitable for BREEAM and LEED projects.

All Arturo products with EMICODE® EC1 PLUS rating are recognized by BREEAM and LEED. Application of the products earns valuable BREEAM and LEED points.