VEKA has unveiled plans for the UK’s first major installation of windows made with recycled PVC-U. The ground-breaking contract is with the Places for People group and will involve tens of thousands of windows, each with nearly 80% recycled polymer from VEKA’s unique processing facility in Germany. VEKA Managing Director Dave Jones said: “There have been a few small showpiece experiments before but this is the first ever full-scale installation contract to use recycled PVC-U.

“It is also far more than an experiment. This is a housing body with a real will to provide a sustainable environmental solution – and the vision and commitment to make it happen.”

Trevor Ranns, VEKA’s Commercial Sales Manager added: “We have had the technology in place for some years; we were simply waiting for the leap of faith in UK public opinion to recognise PVC-U recycling as a positive contributor to the environment.

“Places for People has shown the courage to lead the way and we believe many more will now follow that example.”

The VEKA profile for the contract will be extruded as a separate product and all existing profile will continue to be made of 100% virgin polymer. The recycled product will be EN ISO 12608 ensuring equal technical performance and appearance to virgin profile.

VEKA has made significant investment in developing a co-extruded product – as opposed to simply foiled – so that all visible surfaces are 100% virgin polymer for maximum UV stability. Preston-based Places for People, with a portfolio of 61,000 homes from Northumberland to the Isle of Wight, has awarded the main contract to United House (South Region), Frank Haslam Milan (East Region) and HT Forrest (West Region).

VEKA has always led the field in environmental issues, from the world’s first purpose-built PVC-U recycling plant to the UK’s first BFRC ‘A’ Rated window. The VEKA Recycling plant, at Behringen in Germany, is now supported by a primary processing unit in Kent and northern collection hub in Burnley to minimise fuel use in transportation of post-consumer windows for processing.

Launched 16 years ago, the Behringen plant, has the capacity to process annually 50,000 tonnes of post consumer windows, 12,000 tonnes of which comes from VEKA Recycling in the UK. The facility is one of very few capable of achieving the level of purity to return polymer into window profile – Closed-Loop processing – rather than lower-grade products such as drainage pipes.

Places for People has 61,000 homes from Northumberland to the Isle of Wight