Product category:
Windows - uPVC
News Release from: Kestrel-BCE | Subject: Sustainability of building materials
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 25 April 2008
Sustainability of building materials
Buildingtalk questions Tony Crutcher, Sales and Marketing Director at Kestrel about the key considerations when buying PVC-U or timber building materials.
Regardless of product, PVC-U and PVC-UE and timber are constantly under the spotlight while their sustainability credentials are compared and debated Buildingtalk asked Tony about considerations builders' merchants and stockists are facing when buying PVC-U or timber building materials
What are the credentials for each material and its sustainability?.
Although timber is a natural material, PVC makes a major contribution to the quality, safety and cost-effectiveness of construction materials, as well as contributing to lower environmental impact of completed projects.
In lifecycle analyses and independent studies, PVC's environmental impact has been found to be favourable in many applications when compared with other manufactured materials used for construction.
It is comparatively low in its energy and resource use during production, as well as in conversion to finished products.
As a thermoplastic, PVC can be repeatedly recycled and according to Recovinyl (www.recovinyl.com) and Vinyl 2010 (www.vinyl2010.org), the ten-year Voluntary Commitment of the PVC industry to sustainable development, volumes being recycled continue to grow.
Despite this, I assume you would agree that timber is perceived as the most sustainable material, but why do you think that is considering the benefits of PVC-U?.
I do agree and I think it's because people are looking at the fact it's a natural material.
But that doesn't take into account the need for surface coatings over the lifetime of timber products.
Not only are some of these treatments toxic, but they are required on regular repeat cycles which adds significantly to the whole life costing.
But because they are not inherent in the material they are often ignored when considering the sustainability of timber.
PVC-U on the other hand, requires no repeat treatments and is a tough and durable material which the Building Research Establishment (BRE) has given a service life of at least 35 years, after which it can still be recycled repeatedly.
How important is marketing of this issue for each material and how successful has each material group been to market their sustainability credentials?.
The Wood for Good campaign did a great job because the market got together as a collective to get their messages across.
If we could get the PVC industry together for the greater good, we could achieve a lot more than a series of individual voices, as the Wood for Good campaign proved.
Unfortunately I think until this happens it will be very difficult to get the message across that PVC-U and PVC-UE is a sustainable material.
We will however be doing our bit to continue to drive this important message home.
How much does it matter to consumers as to how sustainable a material is, won't they just buy what suits their property or the material they prefer?.
It is important.
It may take some education and I think PVC-U and PVC-UE and of course aluminum industries have a lot more to do on that front, but when the sustainable benefits are highlighted, homeowners are interested.
It's clearly a hot topic for consumers and although they may not ask for their roofline to be the best sustainable option, installers that can offer a greener product will find it easier to sell when up against competition.
Kestrel installers selling on the fact Kestrel products are calcium organic to the core have definitely seen it make a difference to their sales.
How do you see the PVC-U or PVC-UE industry developing in the future in terms of perceptions and actual sustainability?.
How it should and will develop are probably two different things.
It's good that more companies from our industry are speaking up for the sustainability benefits of PVC-U and putting right the misconceptions but it would be more successful if we did it as a collective.
I think that's the only way we can truly make a difference to people's perceptions on the larger scale. Request a free brochure from Kestrel-BCE ...
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