2022 sees changes to Part L of the Building Regulations come into force in June, and any new homes will have to produce 31% lower carbon emissions. This is ahead of the introduction of the Future Homes Standard in three years' time.
Alongside energy efficiency policies and new regulations, pressure remains on the construction sector to continue to use more sustainable building methods and product choices.
PVC-U is already playing its part and for offsite construction, there are plenty of benefits to consider. Set against other potential product choices such as aluminium or timber composite, not only are there light weight PVC-U options, making it ideal for offsite installation, but it also offers long-term durability and high performance. Plus, attractive aesthetics to support design visions, it is also cost effective and, through important initiatives such as Eurocell's visionary and industry leading recycling processes, provides a truly sustainable product answer.
Combined with effective glazing solutions, buildings can be better insulated and use less energy with PVC-U's ability to offer a lower U-value for lower cost. The option to achieve excellent thermal performance results through a cost-efficient product choice without compromise, is a reason why PVC-U solutions that contain high levels of recycled content, are becoming a sustainable product choice for many.
Eurocell has been committed to recycling for over 20 years. Eurocell's nationwide recycling service called Eurocell-Recycle meets two primary objectives: it prevents plastic window and door frame waste being sent to landfill and enables Eurocell to recycle end of life waste into new PVC-U extrusions.
Two waste plastic recycling plants at Ilkeston and Selby are at the heart of the Eurocell-Recycle service. Using a 'closed loop' recycling system that deals with both post-consumer and post-industrial plastic window and door frame waste, the plants are now responsible for processing over 40,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year, a figure that has been steadily rising as demand for recycled product solutions has escalated in recent years.
To further substantiate the sustainability credentials of PVC-U product solutions, the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Manchester Metropolitan University recently reviewed an array of data sets and modelling emanating from peer-reviewed publications. This has established a life cycle assessment of the use of recycled PVC-U window frames within Eurocell's manufacturing operations.
For example, a typical semi-detached house comprising seven windows and a pair of French doors will see an average weight of post-consumer PVC-U within the eight products plus cavity closure of 122kg. Therefore, a development constructing on average 2500 units of semi-detached houses will save around 627 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year by specifying recycled Eurocell windows and cavity closures over a competitor who is using full virgin PVC-U windows.
To find out more visit: https://www.eurocell.co.uk/eurocell-recycle
