PVC-U and the Environment

Bowater Building Products is also at the forefront of addressing the environmental responsibilities of the wider PVC-U window industry.

Among the first to achieve the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, Bowater Building Products has pioneered a unique partnership to recycle post consumer PVC-U windows and doors.

The PVC-U window industry has made a voluntary commitment to Europe – Vinyl 2010, which includes a commitment to re-cycle post consumer PVC-U windows.

Bowater Building Products has already been involved in a number of recent projects to remove and de-manufacture existing PVC-U windows and doors, which have then been re-cycled and the bi-products returned to the wider supply chain.

With the pressure on landfill availability in many areas, as well as the increasing costs, this proposition will provide a major benefit to users of System 10 who now have the means to re-cycle post consumer windows from their housing stock.

There is much said about the impact of PVC-U on the environment, embracing many opinions and much debate. Different lobbies offer different ideas, however there are many informed publications which look at the facts. Among these is the recent Life Cycle Assessment of PVC and competing materials, commissioned by the European Commission, which provides a balanced and impartial view.

‘For windows, one the most important PVC applications, the available studies conclude that there is no ‘winner’ in terms of a preferable material since most of the studies conclude that none of the materials has an overall advantage for the standard impact categories. The most promising potential for lowering environmental impacts of windows is expected through the optimisation of the design. Therefore, the choice of material is of rather minor importance, as long as the material can provide the required system quality of the window’.

The full report can be seen on www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/chemicals/sustdev/pvc.htm