Vinyl 2010 Progress
Thursday, 17 June 2010
The European PVC industry's Voluntary Commitment , Vinyl 2010, has reported on the progress made towards achieving its goals to recycle more and to phase out the use of lead stabilisers. With a plan to reach 200,000 tonnes of long-life building products by 2010 and with Recovinyl set up as the chosen vehicle to deliver the volume ,some 186,000 tonnes of PVC were actually recycled in 2009. This puts the industry within easy striking distance of the 200,000 tonnes target. The UK is second only to Germany in its achievement with some 33,963 tonnes recycled in 2009 , considered a fine achievement in a year of recession and a particular turn-down in the activity of building and related industries.
Vinyl 2010 also documents a further reduction in the use of lead stabilizers across Europe , declining from 99,991 tonnes in 2007 to 48,921 tonnes in 2009. This is well on track to accomplish a total phase out by the nominated date of 2015. A 50% reduction in usage had been achieved by 2008 , two years earlier than planned.
The BPF points to a particularly interesting case studies.The first is Epwin's completely closed completely closed-loop, 100% recycled PVC window frame. Social housing company Northwards Housing removed 600 PVC-U windows from a tower block and the material was recycled by Dekura. Sister company Profile 22 used the vinyl recyclate to manufacture new windows and completed a trial installation in 18 properties in North Manchester. A case study featuring PVC Recycling Ltd's partnership with the PAL group, a manufacturer of
construction and glazing products, to produce an innovative equestrian fencing product, Fensys. The white fencing product is used for paddocks and equestrian centres and has several benefits, including being maintenance free as it does not require painting nor repairing. Fensys will not rot or splinter and additives used to strengthen PVC for window use are retained in the product, giving it a high impact resistance.
An Australian accolade for PVC Recognising the progress made in recent years by the Australian PVC industry, the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) is changing its approach to the specification of PVC in Green Star projects. Following a nearly two year review of the existing credit and PVC products, GBCA proposed in January 2010 to replace the PVC Minimisation Credit in the Materials category of its Green Star building rating tool with a new approach to recognise and encourage best practice in the Australian PVC industry.
The proposed new Credit will award points to projects where the major common uses of PVC in buildings achieve independent verification of best practice performance in the life cycle of the product. GBCA has outlined the required performance criteria in its "Best Practice Guidelines", which are to be met.
BPF takes PVC Message to the Roads
The BPF has launched a new promotional campaign highlighting the beneficial role PVC can play in modern life. An initiative suggested by the stabiliser producer Chemson has finally been brought to fruition with the release of the first in a series of posters focussing on key areas where PVC can make a difference. Companies are now beginning to incorporate the posters onto the back of their lorry fleets of lorries commenting that, According to the BPF 'Our road networks have never been busier and as such provide a free, high volume advertising network."
The first poster is about how PVC can help to save lives as the material is widely used in medical applications. As the campaign develops it is hoped other industry members will be able to make use of the posters whether on their vehicles, or in offices and workplaces.
Fire Safety of PVC spelled out by BPF
The BPF has published a 'Fact Sheet on the Fire Safety of PVC - U' Quoting several independent academic authorities the BPF points out that PVC is difficult to ignite and that once the source of ignition is removed PVC stops burning. Burning PVC don't give rise to drips or molten flaming droplets. It also sets the role of materials in fires in a broad context of other important factors such as the source of ignition, building design, the provision of fire alerts , sprinklers and fire exits.As the BPF says 'Materials do not self ignite'.It quotes
international fire science expert Jurgen troitzsch : ' Used properly PVC presents no greater fire risk than other natural or synthetic organic materials.'
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For further information, please contact Dhrupal Joshi, at The British Plastics Federation on tel 020 7457 5000, email: [email protected] .
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