Taking the lead on sustainability
Ray McGrady, commercial director at Epwin Window Systems, looks at why the fenestration industry needs to take the lead on sustainability – and how the systems company is doing just that.
To understand why our industry needs to take sustainability seriously, consider the fact that the built environment and construction sector accounts for 38% of global carbon emissions.
There are also clear commercial drivers for prioritising sustainability. NielsenIQ finds that 46% of consumers want brands to take the lead on creating sustainable change and PwC reports that 80% of consumers would pay up to 5% more for sustainably produced products.
Here at Epwin Window Systems, we understand the moral and commercial imperatives of sustainability. It’s reflected in everything from our smallest actions to our strategic business decisions and investments – and it has been for years.
We were the first UK systems house to achieve the VinylPlus Product Label. We also hold ISO 14001: 2015 accreditation, which is testament to the robustness of our environmental management processes, and we are certified to BRE standard BES 6001.
We offer the widest portfolio of fully integrated energy-efficient window and door systems. All our systems have been designed to maximise thermal efficiency and meet regulatory requirements, helping fabricators and installers to deliver what the market needs.
Since 2009 we have recycled waste bar length into RCM (recycled composite material) as part of our manufacturing process, which provides the perfect blend of product performance and sustainability.
We’ve recently introduced a new 150mm cill incorporating a co-extruded recycled section to the base. This year, we will introduce multiple new mainframe tools that will incorporate a recycled core that won’t be visible when manufactured.
In 2022, we acquired Poly-Pure, a leading UK materials re-processor that recycles post-consumer and post-industrial PVC building materials, including PVC-U window frames. The acquisition was the first step of an ambitious recycling programme that aims to ensure our PVC-U building products are not only low maintenance but are the sustainable, responsible choice.
We will shortly begin offering customers a collection service for PVC-U frames and factory off-cuts. These will be taken to new regional recycling hubs. These local hubs offer two key benefits. Firstly, they can provide a local service to our fabricators and installers. Secondly, we can reduce our carbon footprint by maximising the logistical capabilities of waste and transportation.
Over the next 12 to 18 months, we plan to add more hubs to the network, including our Epwin Trade Counters. And as we extend the collection service, we will work with each customer to tailor the collection service to meet their individual needs.
Throughout, our focus will be on ensuring our programme is robust and responsible. Detailed data will be collated using waste management software to monitor performance and to encourage ever-increasing collection volumes, as well as to ensure regulatory compliance and to support the issue of recycling certification.
The programme brings two huge benefits. It enables large volumes of PVC-U waste and post-consumer frames to be stored to maximise distribution efficiency. It also enables local collection of waste that it would otherwise not be economical to collect. It marks a step-change for the industry and it’s something that only a company with the size and scale of Epwin Window Systems could take the lead on.
As our past, present and future initiatives show, Epwin Window Systems understands the critical importance of sustainability and actively takes the lead on advancing it. Our approach not only aligns with our responsibility to play our part on the road to net zero, but also delivers a valuable commercial advantage to our partners.