INDUSTRYNEWS
SWISH FURTHERS PVC SUSTAINABILITY WITH END OF LIFE RECOVERY PLANS
OBITUARY
» AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF PVC building materials ’ reliance on plasticbased components for successful manufacture , market leader Swish has chosen to champion more sustainable production routes , with the implementation of ‘ End of Life Recovery Systems ’ for all its PVC products .
In a move designed to reduce landfill and ensure an increasingly sustainable future for the industry , Swish Building Products actively operates an ethos that supports better management of used PVC materials and enables successful repurposing .
“ Formulated correctly , PVC products can be recycled many times over ,” Alan Tunnicliffe , Process Improvement Manager from Swish Building Products explains , “ as the recycling method required does not measurably damage the chain length of the PVC molecules .
“ The process can prove extremely successful and can enable pre-used products to be repurposed several times .”
Since 2010 , Swish has been enhancing its PVC End of Life Recovery System and has worked to realise its sustainable goal using ethics and guidelines proposed by VinylPlus ®.
An initiative built on the achievements and results of Vinyl 2010 and the principles of Responsible Care ® adopted by the European chemicals industry in the late 1980s , the VinylPlus ® scheme focuses on a 10-year programme to make the PVC industry increasingly sustainable . The initiative concentrates on ; minimising the environmental impact of production ; promoting the responsible use of additives ; supporting collection and recycling schemes ; and encouraging a dialogue amongst all the industry ’ s stakeholders .
With committed companies such as Swish Building Products on board , the VinylPlus ® scheme succeeded in recycling 740,000 tonnes of PVC materials in 2018 and subsequently aims to recover over 100,000,000 tonnes every year moving forward .
“ We wholeheartedly support , the VinylPlus ® commitment to sustainably developing
Europe ’ s PVC industry as it improves the material ’ s viable performance and enables longer lasting usage in the first instance ; before going on to be recycled multiple times . We ’ re proud to be playing our part within the programme and are using research and investment to put the Swish name on the VinylPlus ® sustainability map ,” Alan continues .
As with all thermoplastics , PVC can be re-shaped into a variety of new products . Supporting the concept , Swish achieves its material repurpose process by granulating and pulverising pre-used items to create a fine powder , which is then fed into an extruder , melted , and successfully reformed . Typically , the company recycles its postconsumer PVC windows to create rainwater products , including high quality gutters and downpipes .
“ We ’ ve experienced marked success with our recycling programme ,” Alan adds . “ By pitching our products ’ manufacturing quality at the higher end , our reformed building materials are not only superior and built to last longer , but offer greater onward recycling potential , time and again .
“ We ’ ve every intention of continuing our recycling processes , however also believe that within the sector as a whole , more in terms of repurposing pre-used materials can be done .
“ Although we ’ re still at the research stage , we ’ re now extending our sustainability remit to explore ‘ End of Life Recovery ’ for foam profiles .
“ Our hope is that the budding market for recycled foams continues to advance and that as an UK innovator in the field , we can experience further sustainable success within this environmentally vital arena .”
www . swishbp . co . uk
Des Turnbull – “ we will miss our friend , dearly ”
» HARDWARE SPECIALIST VBH have announced the sad news that Des Turnbull , until recently the Area Sales Manager for the Northern Counties , passed away in hospital on the morning of Saturday 16th January .
“ Des was an integral part of the VBH team for the best part of two decades before retiring last February . He was very well respected and much liked by his customers , suppliers , and all at VBH .
“ Des was very knowledgeable , and enjoyed passing on his expertise . He was particularly helpful to newcomers to our industry , helping them understand some of the vagaries of window and door hardware . He was always quick with a joke and will be well missed by his friends across the whole of VBH .
“ Des and his wife , Cath , often combined their holidays with charity work , frequently taking much needed equipment to underfunded schools .
“ Our sympathies are with Cath and their family and friends at this very sad time . We will miss our friend Des dearly .”
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