Blue Planet inspires green effort
Sheffield Window Centre has extended the Rehau Total70 range to include Rehau Co-extruded profile, enabling it to provide customers with an environmentally friendly product.
Located in the heart of Sheffield, the family-owned fabrication and installation business has been making PVCU windows and doors for over 40 years. In 1991, the company started fabricating Rehau profiles, and Centre now fabricates and installs the whole Total70 range.
When Rehau launched its co-extruded Total70 profile – containing a recycled core of up to 100% post-consumer and post-industrial waste material – Sheffield Window Centre saw an opportunity to complete its portfolio and enhance the offer for more eco-conscious consumers.
Ian Hunter Jr, managing director at Sheffield Window Centre, said: “There has been a real change in attitudes towards plastic in the last few years, and the recent Blue Planet TV series has kickstarted a lot of businesses into reviewing their plastic usage and finding ways to reduce. And, as a business that manufactures using PVCU products, we needed to act too.
“So when Rehau’s co-extruded profile became available, we jumped at the chance to adopt them within our manufacturing process. We wanted to do our bit for the planet – not just because that’s the socially responsible thing to do, but also to reassure our customers that they can buy good quality, PVCU windows that are sustainable and more environmentally friendly.”
A large majority of Sheffield Window Centre’s installations replace first generation PVCU windows. Now the old windows are collected by Rehau and taken to its recycling centre PVCR based in Manchester to be recycled into material that can then be re-used at Rehau’s extrusion plant in Blaenau Ffestiniog, north Wales, to produce the co-extruded Total70 profile, thereby providing a closed loop of material use.
PVCU can normally be recycled up to 10 times, but because of the improved processes introduced at PVCR, Rehau’s co-extruded profile could possibly be recycled many more times than this, the company said.
The performance of the co-extruded Total70 profile achieves the high requirements of Rehau’s Total70 range and is certified under BSI Kitemark License KM 13358. Furthermore, there is no increase in overall cost of product compared with the rest of the range.
Sheffield Window Centre has reportedly moved all of its customers over to the co-extruded range.
“Visually, the co-extruded profiles look identical to the rest of the Total70 range with no change in performance or price,” Ian said. “So, we are delighted that the co-extruded profile is driving our sales, and we know that we are offering the most environmentally friendly PVCU windows on the market.”
Rick Cole, area sales manager for Rehau said: “The Total70 Co-extruded range has hit the market at a time when people are generally more aware of the environmental issues facing the planet and what needs to be done to reverse the damage. Sheffield Window Centre was keen right from the off to take our recycled product, and they have a genuine enthusiasm to sell it to customers – so I believe it’s going to do big things for them and the environment.”
