Selling Sustainability Demands Honesty

It is still early days for our new Prime Minister, and as such, we await a more concrete position on climate change. So far, it has been a mixed picture. In her campaign to become PM, Liz Truss promised to ‘double down’ on the UK’s goal to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050. But activists are already planning to protest her plans for further oil and gas extraction, while reports suggest our new leader finds the spread of solar farms in the UK ‘depressing’. A definitive position will come in time, but regardless of how ‘green’ the new cabinet turns out to be, there is no question that public opinion remains firmly in the sustainable camp. That’s why the fenestration industry needs to hold its head up high when it comes to sustainability, which means recycling responsibly, with an emphasis on ‘responsibly’.

Unfortunately, the word ‘plastic’ can conjure up negative perceptions. But all plastic is not equal. The PVC-U we use in our windows is quite different to the single use plastic that society is trying to eliminate. In fact, PVC-U is one of the fenestration industies most significant assets when it comes to sustainability, but only if it’s recycled responsibly. This is the message we need to get out to homeowners.

Eco-conscious consumers will be attracted by the fact that when they order new windows and doors, their old PVC-U frames will be removed from their home, transported to a specialist recycling facility, and reprocessed to eventually create brand new products that can be recycled again at the end of their lives. But this can only be used as the powerful selling tool that it is if installers use credible and authentic recycling companies to collect and process their old frames. It’s disappointing that there are people out there willing to maximise on the commercial benefits of sustainability with no intention of doing the right thing, but that is the unfortunate truth. Installers need to be aware of this fact before choosing their recycling partner.

Responsible recycling is not just for installers either. Fabricators can also benefit from making sure they employ the services of a trusted recycling specialist when it comes to the processing of off-cuts and flawed frames. Not only as a selling point for them but to ensure that the whole supply chain is doing its bit to minimise environmental damage and ensure that material does not go to waste.

Recycling PVC-U frames properly diverts them from landfills and reduces the amount of virgin material used to manufacture fenestration products. This reduces carbon emissions and extends the service life of PVC-U by decades or even centuries. This arguably makes PVC-U one of the most sustainable building product materials on the planet.

VEKA Recycling collects post-consumer frames from fabricators and installers that want to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability to their customers. We process the frames at our specialist PVC-U window and door frame recycling site in Wellingborough, which means we can guarantee that recycling standards and legal guidelines will be upheld at every stage, protecting our fabricator and installer customers, as well as consumers.

PVC-U windows and doors were traditionally sold on price before we saw some significant advances in performance and aesthetics in recent years. But as society continues to shift towards a greener agenda, it’s even more important for fabricators and installers to adjust their approach once more and re-market PVC-U as the highly effective and sustainable framing material that it can be.