35
PRO INSTALLER OCTOBER 2014
PRO SKILLS
@proinstaller1
Five good reasons
to use PVC
Freefoam Building Products and The British Plastics Federation take a look at the benefits of using PVC.
The UK Plastics industry is
a global leader operating at
the cutting edge of technology and constitutes an important UK economic strength.
It has an annual sales
turnover of over £19 billion
and employs approximately
180,000 people. The construction industry is one of
the largest users of plastics
at 22% of total output.
Brighton & Hove Council estimated that using PVC windows
on their housing stock instead of
other alternatives has added £8.5
million to their housing programme.
The British Plastics Federation
is the most powerful voice in the
UK plastics industry with over 400
members across the plastics industry supply chain and is currently
working hard to raise the profile
of the industry and awareness of
the benefits of PVC.
‘The most powerful
voice in the UK
plastics industry with
over 400 members
across the plastics
industry supply chain’
Traditionally, there has been a
misconception within the construction industry that PVC is
inferior to wood and bad for the
environment. However, these
perceptions are often built on
lingering prejudice rather than
sound scientific evidence. Sustainable manufacture has always
been at the heart of Freefoam
Building Products making PVC a
sustainable option for specifiers,
house-builders and installers.
Pick up the
PRO Installer,
FREE, from
one of over
600 trade
counters.
• PVC performs
A major revision of the BRE
(Building Research Establishment)
Green Guide was undertaken in
2008, which led to PVC Cladding
obtaining an A+ rating when
installed with standard insulation
products.
Freefoam manufacture a range of
cladding systems, from standard
white shiplap cladding to attractive embossed wood effect ‘Fortex’
cladding in a range of subtle
colours.
‘added £8.5 million’
Here are five fact
based reasons to
choose PVC for
construction projects.
• PVC is versatile and durable
PVC is easy to process and can
therefore be used for a wide range
of products including windows,
roofline and guttering. It is light,
tough and long lasting.
Freefoam products are manufactured to be durable and long
lasting. Using extra titanium oxide
to stop UV degradation to product
roofline components guaranteed
for up to 50 years.
• PVC preserves fossil fuels
Whilst PVC is made partly from
oil, 57% of its constituent make
up is common salt, a natural
renewable product. It takes less
non-renewable fossil fuel to make
PVC than any other commodity
plastic.
• PVC delivers better value
Using building products manufactured from PVC delivers good
value. Full Lifecycle assessments
(LCS’s) demonstrate PVC’s advantages versus alternative materials based on real sustainability
criteria.
• PVC is fully recyclable
PVC is a thermoplastic which
means it can be re-processed making it fully recyclable. This allows
manufactures to reuse post-production waste or take end of life
products and use the recycled material to product new products.
‘led to PVC
Cladding obtaining
an A+ rating’
Freefoam currently recycle 85%
of PVC post production waste and
is engaged in projects that will increase this to 98%. Some Freefoam
products also contain recycled
material such as the co-extruded
rainwater system. Q