INDUSTRYNEWS
New guide published
for Part Q compliance
»»DOOR AND WINDOW
manufacturers are to receive more support on
building regulations compliance, thanks to
a new technical guide on Part Q published
last month by the British Woodworking
Federation (BWF).
‘to be rigorously enforced’
Part Q of the building regulations for
England was introduced to improve the
security standards of windows and doors that
are fitted into new dwellings. One of the
crucial elements in the requirements is that
doors and windows should, as a minimum, be
capable of meeting the security requirements
of PAS 24. Products meeting Secured By
Design scheme requirements, and those of
certification schemes for security products, are
also deemed to comply.
The new security requirements do not affect
manufacturers’ responsibilities under the
Construction Products Regulations.
Kevin Underwood, Technical Director at
the BWF, said, “For the woodworking sector,
Part Q presents us with new challenges on the
security rating of doors and windows in new
build homes, including new homes created by
a change of use, such as barn conversions.
“The regulations were introduced last
October, but the implications are only just
being felt now with the latest wave of new
home registrations. It will be imposed on all
sites by October this year at the latest.
“As part of the building regulations in
England, the new Part Q falls within the
jurisdiction of the Building Control Officer.
As a consequence, we think it is set to be
rigorously enforced.”
The BWF’s publication provides a brief
overview of the requirements for window
and door manufacturers, and details what
companies should do to avoid being caught
out by the new rules. It gives answers to many
of the frequently asked questions, including
how it impacts on product manufacture, what
type of building work it relates to, what’s
required to satisfy the new regulations, and
how it will all be policed.
The guide is free to BWF members. Download
at: http://bwf.org.uk/publications/windows.
MORE THAN 500,000 TONNES
OF PVC RECYCLED IN 2015
»»VINYLPLUS, THE EUROPEAN PVC
industry sustainable development programme,
recycled 514,913 tonnes of PVC within its
framework last year. The 2015 results were
presented at its 4th Vinyl Sustainability
Forum 2016 in Vienna, Austria, where the
industry shared its major successes, notably
the replacement of lead-based stabilisers in the
EU-28 market.
Taking the theme of ‘Smart Vinyl for
our Cities’, the Forum, held on April 28th,
attracted more than 130 stakeholders from
academia, government bodies, the UN, the
European Commission, specifiers, designers,
architects and all sectors of the PVC
industry.
6 » JUN 2016 » CL EARVI E W- U K . C O M
Welcoming delegates, VinylPlus Chairman,
Josef Ertl, said, “European cities are forerunners
in the transition towards a low carbon and
resource-efficient economy. 72% of the EU
population lives in urban areas, using 70% of
our energy.
“To assure quality of life, future cities will
need healthy and energy-efficient buildings,
reliable water distribution and sewage systems,
as well as affordable healthcare. Using PVC in
place of other materials reduces costs, improves
product performance and makes a positive
contribution to sustainable development.”
In 2015, VinylPlus recycled 514,913
tonnes of PVC waste, an upward recycling
trend of which window profiles and related
profile products accounted for around 45%.
The greatest volumes, 508,154 tonnes, were
registered and certified by Recovinyl (www.
recovinyl.com), the PVC waste collection and
recycling network comprising 177 companies
Europe-wide. The target is to recycle 800,000
tonnes per year by 2020.
Stephan Sicars, Director Department of
Environment, United Nations Industrial
Development Organisation (UNIDO) said,
“The shift of emphasis to designing products
and processes for sustainability offers the
plastics and PVC industry many opportunities
to capitalise on innovation, as well as consumer
demands for better environmental performance
and smaller environmental footprint of
products.”
VinylPlus reaffirmed its commitment to
addressing the issue of ‘legacy additives’ in
recycled PVC in cooperation with regulatory
authorities and is calling to propose realistic
solutions for the continuation and development
of PVC recycling, taking into account its
resource efficiency benefits.
VinylPlus is also intensifying its discussions
with institutions in a committed effort to help
find solutions amid ongoing concern from
recyclers and converters over uncertainties in
the implementation of relevant EU regulations,
such as REACH, CLP and Hazardous Waste.