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VEKA 'Ecobuild' better future for fenestration

Over the last year VEKA has been working long and hard to develop its closed loop recycling plant that reprocesses post consumer PVCu products, in particular windows, back into the highest-grade quality raw material for extruding new profiles

This new facility, based in Dartford, not only acts as a collection receptacle for old material, but also enables VEKA to clean and colour match the waste profile before extruding it into new, premium quality window and door profiles.

This process can be carried out time after time, producing its world-renowned PVCu systems that are impossible to tell apart from profile that has been produced from the original virgin raw material, but it does not stop there! VEKA's commitment to the environment and sustainable production is continually subjected to a stringent review procedure that is designed to better existing practises in all areas of its business activities.

This stretches from in-house conservation of waste, to the development of it's A-Rated energy saving glazing products, to assist the country in meeting the Kyoto protocol reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions.

Veka invest in recycling plant in the UK

There is a popular misconception that PVCu windows cannot be recycled, nothing could be further from the truth Veka AG invested in a purpose built recycling plant 14 years ago to deal with offcuts and more importantly, post consumer windows

This recycling initiative has grown to the extent that Veka has founded a plant in the UK this year. Old windows are fed into the recycling plant where metals, glass etc is automatically separated. The PVCu is then colour separated and the white material then cleaned and colour matched to go back into new window profiles without any loss of quality or physical performance.

This process can be conducted many times meaning that the PVCu can stay in the closed loop for centuries. There are no windows currently being produced from 100% recycled material for a couple of reasons.

Firstly there is not enough old PVCu windows being de-installed to yield recyclate in enough quantity. Secondly the European Norm, EN 12608 does not allow recycled material on the face surfaces of profiles. Most of the recycled material is therefore co-extruded into the core of window profiles.

The Veka AG plant in Behringen, Germany is capable of processing 50,000 tonnes of waste per year. It is fed by plants in UK and France which process up to a certain point ready for final processing in Behringen. Further plants will be founded in Eastern Europe when those markets reach the maturity of the Western Markets

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