The Environment

Debates about climate change, carbon footprints and waste have put 'green' issues firmly in the consumer consciousness.

For this reason, we have chosen our uPVC suppliers with care to ensure that they demonstrate a commitment to energy efficiency, waste reduction, re-use and offer sustainable manufacture.

• Their state of the art factory has been designed specifically to re-cycle rainwater that cleans the glass
• All glass off-cuts are re-cycled
• All pvc off-cuts are re-cycled
• All packaging is re-cycled
• They offer, as standard, high performance  thermally insulating glass

The very high credentials in respect of the energy efficiency of your replacement windows are an important feature to consider when calculating the value of an order placed with Vantage Windows & Conservatories.

The formula to adopt at all times is Price + Quality + Energy Efficiency = Value

Cradle to the Grave ReCycling Policy

Early in 2007, VEKA plc initiated what is thought to be the biggest-ever recycling initiative of its kind by any UK system supplier with the launch of VEKA Recycling.

Based on the significant investment of a primary processing facility in Kent, the initiative links major refurbishment sites all over the UK, collecting complete post-consumer windows - from any original manufacturer's profile, for reprocessing.

Its purpose is not only to collate the entire operation but also to process the material into a form that can be transported more fuel-efficiently to VEKA Umwelttechnik - avoiding the irony of wasting natural resources in order to save them.

Many installation companies have not been slow to note that removal and recycling this way offers real cost benefits over landfill as well as the obvious reduction in environmental impact.

VEKA Recycling is equally capable of reprocessing any PVC-U window, irrespective of the original system manufacturer, eliminating any need for recognition or selection.

Up to now, post-consumer windows have often been referred to as 'end of life'.  Now, VEKA Recycling has shown that the end of each window's life is really only the beginning of the next.

Source: Information taken from the VEKA Plc brochure - A sustainable environmental agenda to meet the challenge of a changing world.

Vantage & Windows & Conservatories is proud to be part of this initiative and all post-consumer windows will be collected by the VEKA Re-cycling in an effort to meet our environmental global responsibility.

Recycled Plastics - A Second Life

Plastics re-cycling takes place on a significant scale in the UK and there is considerable research conducted to discover the most efficient ways to recycle.   Raw materials have a high value and are a precious resource.   To conserve both money and the environment the industry makes every effort to recover as much as possible.

Exact figures are hard to obtain but a survey conducted in 1981 showed that less that 1% of plastics processed is thrown away at the manufacturing stage.  Further downstream, many products that have completed a full service life are fed back into the system to embark upon a second life-cycle. 

The following are just a few examples:

• Polyethylene film – It is estimated that around 50,000 tonnes of polyethylene film, about 10% of total UK production, are recovered every year to provide useful and serviceable goods such as certain types of builders’ sheeting and black refuse bags, the majority of which are made from recycled material.
• Polypropylene – At least 25,000 tonnes of polypropylene are recycled annually, equivalent to about 7% of total UK production.  More than 70% of this material has had a full service life with major sources being bottle crates and car battery boxes.  The recycled material is used in high quality applications such as injection mouldings and extruded drainage pipes.
• Polystyrene – Recycling of polystyrene clothes hangers collected from department stores is an excellent example of a successful commercial venture, as is a similar system based on the recovery of used cassette cases taken from photographic laboratories.  Typical applications include injection moulded products, including recycled versions of the original article or quite different products such as flower pots.

Source: British Plastics Foundation

uPVC Windows Are The Future

A key product that demonstrates the sustainability of plastic materials is the uPVC window.   Air miles do not feature as the entire supply chain – from raw material to installation - is based here in the UK.

uPVC windows with their low conductivity and tight seals contribute enormously to insulating a home and thereby achieve valuable energy savings. 

Research conducted by the Building Research Establishment (a centre of excellence in the field of sustainable construction) has proven that the live span of a uPVC window is at least 35 years.  As a consequence, uPVC windows will see a marked improvement in the rating they will achieve in “The Green Guide to Specification” to be published in mid-2008 by the Building Research Establishment.

A key feature of the product’s sustainability credentials is its rapidly growing recycling record.  There are a rapidly growing network of recyclers in place to ensure that the value inherent in your windows lives on.

By 2006, over 22,000 tonnes of post-consumer PVC window profiles were recycled in the UK and the figures are set to increase during 2007.   The UK is a leader in PVC window profile recycling in Europe and it’s feasible that it will be a technical possibility to manufacture new PVC windows made entirely from recycled PVC.

Source: Windows Group

Plastics Make A Favourable Contribution to the Environment

In spite of the myths, plastics make an overall contribution to the environment due to their lightweight, low volume, highly durable properties.   They use less energy and pollute less in manufacture than many other materials and, more importantly, they can easily be recycled.   The same recycling opportunities apply to a polyethylene carrier bag and to a plastic drinks bottle; to expanded polystyrene building insulation and PVC window frames.

Across Europe, the recovery rate of post-consumer end-of-life plastics now stands at a record 50%.   And with the UK now recognising the value of energy-from-waste, it is worth remembering that a one litre plastic drinks bottle will power a light bulb for 1½ hours if recovered through a state of the art EfW plant.  So we need to start thinking of plastic as simply a borrowed resource which can be efficiently recycled or reclaimed.

For FREE expert advice and FREE design service, please contact us on 01775 670111 or why not in this high tech world send us an email - christine@vantagewindows.com