What are the environmental issues currently facing the PVC-U window manufacturers?

There are many different environmental issues facing the PVC-U windows industry and most of them are concerned with the overall sustainability of PVC. Certain environmental pressure groups have broadcast misleading messages that PVC cannot be recycled and is intrinsically non-sustainable. As a result of these activities, many debates have been stimulated within many European member states' governments, and the European Commission itself. (In the library on this site you can view the executive summary of the recent EU findings into PVC-U as a building material).

Another major issue, which has been singled out by various NGOs, is the use of heavy metal compounds (including lead and cadmium salts) as stabilisers in PVC-U window profile. Concerns were raised that these heavy metal stabilisers could potentially leach out of waste window profile in landfill, resulting in heavy metal pollution of groundwater. Once the groundwater had been contaminated with heavy metals, then human health could potentially be effected.

The issue of waste management also rated highly as a concern of some pressure groups. Most post-consumer PVC-U window profile is sent to landfill and some is incinerated. The fact that PVC-U is non-biodegradable and hence stays in the landfill, and the fact that dioxins are produced when it is burnt, were the two main worries here. There have also been claims that PVC-U windows cannot be recycled.

How is the PVC-U Window Industry addressing these challenges?

In order to address the growing concerns over the environmental impact of PVC, the UK Government commissioned a Life Cycle Analysis of PVC and alternatives. The initial report was published in September 2000 and it included comparisons between four different PVC applications and a viable alternative. PVC-U windows were compared with timber windows.

The study concluded that although the differences were slight, timber came out just ahead of PVC-U on environmental grounds, however, the differences between the impacts of the two materials fell inside the study’s margin of error. Comments were invited and the British Plastics Federation (BPF) entered a critique on behalf of its members. The major omission from the study was the potential for recycling PVC-U windows.   Manchester City Council commissioned a similar study in 2001. This report, completed by the same consultancy, was published in September 2001 and it seemed to have taken on-board a lot of the comments made about the Government’s LCA. Its conclusion identified even less difference between the environmental impact of PVC-U and timber windows. It also concluded that PVC-U windows had a distinct advantage when it came to socio-economic considerations.

The issue of waste management covers three areas, landfill, incineration with energy recovery and recycling. In many cases the most desirable option is recycling.

Claims that PVC-U windows are not recyclable are quite simply not true. Studies have found that PVC can be recycled up to seven times without any significant loss in its properties. In fact, PVC-U windows are, potentially, a very good product for post-consumer recycling because they can be recycled horizontally, i.e. the recyclate is used to make new windows. At present there is not a sufficient volume of post-consumer waste created in the UK to make closed loop recycling viable. However, over 80% of production waste is already recycled and the industry has set itself high targets for recycling. The technology for PVC-U window recycling is available in other European countries, such as Germany, where PVC-U windows have been in commercial production for around 15 years longer than they have in the UK.

There has been a large degree of criticism aimed at incineration schemes that utilise energy from waste technology. Most critics argue that the level of dioxins produced when PVC-U windows are incinerated makes this method of waste management non-viable. Many studies have been carried out into this subject and it has been proved that the presence or absence of PVC-U windows in a municipal waste incinerator makes little difference to the level of dioxins released. In recent years there have been vast improvements in the performance of incinerators and quality of their exhaust gas, making them a very plausible alternative to recycling, when used in conjunction with energy from waste technology. Recycling schemes can reach a certain stage when they become either environmentally or financially unfeasible and this type of incineration should definitely be considered when this happens. The high calorific value of PVC-U makes it especially relevant to this type of waste management, if necessary.

Of the three waste-management options, landfill is most definitely the least desirable, however, PVC-U windows are actually a useful constituent to have in a landfill site. This is because PVC-U acts as a boom, because it does not degrade once buried in the site. PVC-U also remains inert in landfill, and there is no evidence to suggest that PVC-U waste would be a source of any toxic substances under landfill conditions. Also, the presence of PVC-U in landfill does not add to the amount of off-gases that are released from the site, again this is because it does not degrade. In today’s world the increasing performance, standards and regulations regarding the management of landfill sites renders it highly unlikely that any toxic substances will be released to the wider environment.

The issue surrounding the energy used in PVC production is very easily dismissed when you look at the science of the production process. It only requires 0.49 tonnes of Crude Oil constituents to make 1 tonne of PVC. Following on from this it must also be noted that because PVC is such a light material, less energy is used to transport it once it has been produced.

The second issue linked with energy is compliance with the current building regulations for energy loss. The properties of most PVC-U window profiles make them more than adequate to meet the building regulations, if the correct double glazing unit is used.  PVC-U window profile loses less heat through the frame than any of the alternatives.

PVC-U windows also have energy advantages over some their alternatives because they are so durable and require only minimal maintenance. Timber windows for instance, require regular painting, whereas PVC-U windows require only the occasional wash. As well as an energy saving this also gives PVC-U windows a distinct cost advantage, over the lifetime of the window.

What is the PVC industry doing to improve sustainability?

The PVC industry in general, and the PVC-U windows industry in particular, appreciate that there are some concerns surrounding their products and its sustainability. Because of this, nearly 95% of the European PVC industry has signed up to a Voluntary Commitment called Vinyl 2010.

Vinyl 2010 was initially signed in March 2000 and has subsequently been updated, to widen its scope. Vinyl 2010 is an agreement by the European Industry to address some of the concerns that people have raised. With regards to PVC-U windows, Vinyl 2010 sets out specific targets for the industry. The first was to phase-out the use of cadmium stabilisers by March 2001. The second is to recycle 50% of available, collectable post-consumer windows by 2005. The third is to phase-out the use of lead stabilisers by 2015, with an interim target of a 30% reduction by 2010. Vinyl 2010 has the full support of the PVC industry, including the stabiliser producers (via ESPA), the plasticiser producers (via ECPI), the PVC producers (via ECVM) and the converters (via EuPC). In order to support the industry's efforts to meet the targets set out in Vinyl 2010, the European PVC Windows and Related Building Products Association (EPPA) has been formed, and the BPF are members. EPPA will be the driving force behind Vinyl 2010 on a European level, and within the UK the BPF Windows and Vinyls groups are looking to do the same. The complete Vinyl 2010 document can be found in the library on this site.

The PVC industry has faced many issues in the past and it also has many enemies. However, with the signing of Vinyl 2010 and other positive initiatives, the industry has sent out a message saying:

“We may not be perfect, but we are prepared to improve our industry’s sustainability, without waiting for our respective Governments or the European Commission to force us to do so with legalisation.”

This article was contributed by the British Plastics Federation.