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How a new type of cement sack improves working conditions
Sometimes, changing the packaging of a product can have profound implications not only for the environment, but also for the people using it. Case in point: an innovative new type of sack material that does away with the dusty business of opening cement bags. Instead, the entire bag can be thrown unopened into the mixer, where it grinds down to form part of the concrete – saving time, waste and the health of construction workers in the process. Discover the benefits of Billerud’s revolutionary D-Sack® in the short films below.
Firstly, in storage and handling D-Sack® performs just like any other high-quality cement bag. It’s when you use D-Sack® that you see the difference. Simply put the sack in the mixer together with aggregate and water, and the unique sack construction together with the mechanical action grinds the sack down to miniscule pieces that become part of the concrete. Imagine the time that can be saved by not having to tear or cut open the sacks and pour the cement into the mixer.
Not having to pour the cement into the mixer curtails another problem – exposure to cement dust. The effects are still being debated, but there is a good reason why construction workers are advised to use a mouthguard and gloves. Cement dust can be hazardous. But with D-Sack® you avoid this by simply throwing the sack into the mixer and stepping away.
Lastly, D-Sack® does of course not generate any waste. Ordinary cement bags pile up and need to be disposed of. Apart from being hazardous waste and all the associated complications such as waste costs, the time saved by not having to collect and transport the empty sacks will be a noticeable gain for any construction business.
The planet will thank you
D-Sack does more than save health, time and money for any construction company or contractor. A life cycle assessment conducted by IVL (Swedish Environmental Research Institute) confirmed that D-Sack is a CO2 sink in a hundred-year perspective. The carbon dioxide, which is bound during tree growth and then incorporated into the paper, remains in the concrete structure. This gives D-Sack a 30% lower climate impact than conventional cement sacks.
