VEKA Sales and Marketing Director Colin Torley explains how, as a member of the British Plastics Federation, VEKA plc is keen to work with the BPF in its mission to promote the many benefits of sustainable PVC. The overall aim is to encourage businesses and homeowners alike to appreciate the recycling potential of this material and become more 'PVC Aware'.

The VEKA Group has led the industry in environmental issues in PVC-U for many years and the majority of our customers are astounded at how many people still don't know that PVC can be recycled.
VEKA Umwelttechnik GmbH, has operated Europe's most advanced PVC-U recycling plant in the German town of Behringen for nearly 20 years and can recycle 50,000 tonnes of PVC-U windows a year, all to a level of purity that can be made directly into new windows. These new recycled windows are quickly absorbed into the German Housing market, which is much more accepting of recycled material than currently in the UK.

VEKA plc and VEKA Recycling constantly promote recycled products throughout the UK, in an effort to increase the demand for these eco-friendly systems within the British market. VEKA recently worked alongside Wigan-based fabricator Metrolite on a large contract in which all 3,500 windows were sent to be recycled. One old window was even traced along its journey through the recycling process into a new window and was replaced into the project to demonstrate that it can be done and that the quality of recycled products easily equals that of virgin polymer. All the other windows in this contract – just like every other major contract in the UK – were made from 100% new material, but we want to show that PVC-U recycling is just as viable here as it is in other countries such as Germany. All it needs now, is for the industry as a whole to update its attitude.

VEKA Recycling was established in the UK in 2007 and allows fabricators and installers to demonstrate their eco-friendly credentials to potential customers. VEKA Recycling extends the lifespan of a window almost indefinitely and accepts all types of PVC-U frames regardless of where they were originally manufactured.

VEKA Recycling offers an attractive alternative to landfill without creating a lot of work. Any type of PVC-U can be thrown into the recycling bin; old or new, complete with gaskets, handles and reinforcements but less the glass. Not only is this ethically and environmentally rewarding, it also makes good financial sense. It both saves and generates revenue, as it avoids the substantial cost of landfill and attracts greater numbers of domestic customers who have a 'green conscience'.

The VEKA Recycling primary processing facility in Kent links major refurbishment sites all over the UK. It collects and collates material before processing it 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.
VEKA Recycling in the UK is only one part of a growing global commitment by VEKA Worldwide, which has already seen similar initiatives launched in a number of other countries. VEKA Recyclage in France has recently established a similar facility in Vendeuvre Sur Barse collating materials from France, Spain and Portugal for processing in Germany.

VEKA's involvement with the BPF and www.PVCaware.org, reflects our commitment to creating and promoting technically advanced window and door systems which are entirely recyclable, economical and incredibly energy efficient. VEKA even supported the design of the UK's first window to achieve the BFRC 'A' rating and soon after, partnered the creation of the first 'A' rated fully-reinforced double glazed window.

Here at VEKA we are keen to do what we can, alongside the BPF, to encourage a changing attitude towards PVC-U throughout the industry and within the domestic market. We hope to address the prejudices about this material and help critics to see that, in fact, its long lifespan, low maintenance and ability to be continually reincarnated - make PVC-U one of the most sustainable products currently available in the building and home improvement market.