Closing the loop
By Peter Eatough, engineering director, Veka.
The fenestration and fabrication industries are on the cusp of a truly transformational wave.
As we approach three decades of closed loop PVC-U recycling being available in the UK, advances in technology are making it easier than ever to reuse materials and mitigate the risks associated with them heading to landfill or being incinerated for energy recovery.
This aligns perfectly with growing consumer demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly building products, as homeowners become more conscientious about what products they are using for their homes.
For those yet to start their sustainability journey, as well as those already entrenched but always on the lookout for the next improvement to make, this presents an opportunity that should be capitalised on.
The key is to develop a recycling supply chain that is as efficient and streamlined as possible, with the systems and procedures in place to make recycling just another standard part of your business.
At Veka, we’ve made the investments required to make that possible. Veka Recycling is an industry leader in recycling ‘end of life’ PVC-U windows and doors, offering a reliable, cost-effective and long-term service.
We work with window fabricators and installers, as well as waste companies throughout the UK to ensure that valuable PVC-U material is not lost to landfill.
True potential of closed loop
There should be one shared aim across the glazing industry when it comes to sustainability: to divert waste product from landfill and incineration. And with the advances we’re making in closed loop recycling, we think that’s an achievable objective.
Using the loop closing process at our £15m recycling facility in Wellingborough – taking waste window parts, breaking them down into raw materials and rebuilding them as new products – we can recycle PVC-U windows and doors up to 10 times. As a result, one PVC-U window or door can have as much as 350 years of usage.
Our ultimate goal is to shorten the supply chain for the industry as much as possible, reducing the product-out product-back-in process to just a couple of steps. And we’re using our years of recycling heritage as our inspiration.
A history to be proud of
Heinrich Laumann, the owner and founder of the Veka Group, developed the very first window recycling plant in the world, in the early 1990s, in Germany.
The plant quickly became a beacon of best practice and to this day sets a standard in global recycling which others strive to replicate.
Having anticipated just how engrained sustainability and recycling would become to the shared public psyche, our Wellingborough facility was designed with expansion in mind. As part of our ongoing ‘Big Bang’ project, we’re increasing capacity to be able to process 25,000 tonnes of waste PVC-U – up from our existing 18,000 tonne capacity – each year, enabling us to support thousands more businesses.
Alongside this, we’re streamlining our window production processes, and making efficiencies – including a reduction in packaging and forklift truck use – to pass on savings to our customers.
Not only will we be able to offer the highest quality recycled windows available on the market, but we’ll improve our customer relationships by offering them a seamless, consistent level of service which helps their business to grow.
Across Europe, the response to using recycled windows is a major success story. While there is still a job to be done in the UK, there is no doubt that the shift is taking place – and at a fast pace. Unlocking the full potential of closed loop recycling relies on fabricators and installers being receptive to it, and promoting its benefits to consumers.
But with services and technology like Veka’s now available to more businesses in the industry, there’s no better time to put sustainability front and centre of the agenda.
