Energy Efficiency & Sustainability
PVC-U Recycling + Trust = Sales
Stuart Stockley , MD of VEKA Recycling , says that reassuring homeowners that their old windows will be turned into new products , will help to close sales . And new research confirms that brand trust is a key part of the process .
The recycling of old PVC-U window and door frames is important because it makes solid commercial sense , especially since the PVC-U resin shortages experienced a couple of years ago . And of course , it significantly reduces the carbon footprint of the production of PVC-U window and door frames . PVC-U , with the potential to be recycled seven times ( or even more according to some sources ), actually makes the material a ‘ good plastic ’.
However , that old windows can be recycled , is especially important for homeowners who are increasingly motivated by sustainability and therefore , for installers that offer to recycle the old windows they remove . According to a recent NielsenIQ study ‘ The changing climate of sustainability has reached a critical moment ’ ( https :// tinyurl . com / ycka9f7r ), nearly two thirds ( 61 %) of UK consumers feel sustainability is more important to them than it was two years ago . Half of consumers questioned take their own shopping bags with them , avoid waste and minimise electricity usage .
Trust appears to play a crucial part in attitudes , with the report going on to say : ‘ Significantly , consumer demand continues to put the onus on brands and governments to make meaningful change . When asked in the The NielsenIQ 2023 Sustainability Report who was most responsible for making progress on sustainability , a greater percentage of respondents ranked brands ( 46 %) and local governments ( 40 %) ahead of consumers ( 37 %).
‘ Furthermore , shoppers ’ sense of urgency around the changing climate is rising , with 69 % saying that over the last two years sustainability has become more important to them . An increased awareness of climate change and the direct impact it is or may have on their personal well-being have been the two main driving factors of this change .’
Further indications in the report of consumers ’ commitment to sustainability are the findings that only one in twenty of the respondents took no actions to live sustainability , with 45 % consciously separating their rubbish for recycling , though of course , most local authorities compel their residents to recycle , itself creating a constant awareness of the concept of recycling .
Stuart believes that the issue of sustainability , coupled with trust , are crucial elements to include when installers are quoting : “ Most of us are very aware of the importance of recycling as a key element in the drive towards carbon reduction . By advising the homeowner that their old windows will become new products within weeks of being removed from their homes , will be a major influence towards them choosing one installer over another . Using a trusted brand such as VEKA Recycling , will also help to cement that deal .”
The amount of research that homeowners carry out before committing
to high capital expenditure on their homes , can be exhaustive . Any that look specifically into the recycling of PVC-U window and door frames , will discover that VEKA Group pioneered the concept and process , building the first plant in Europe ( and almost certainly the world ) specifically for this purpose , in Germany in 1993 . The Group has continued to lead , by building the most advanced plant of its type in Wellingborough , thus significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the process by carrying out recycling of windows removed from British homes , locally .
“ Our networks will collect old windows and virgin offcuts from the manufacturing process , from anywhere in the UK ,” advised Stuart . “ It is a very positive step , and also an easy one to take , to arrange for old frames removed from a property to be collected by VEKA Recycling . And in doing so , to enjoy the trust of dealing with a major brand .”
The NeilsenIQ report says : “ Brands have a unique opportunity to be viewed as partners in the fight for sustainability if they can help them overcome these obstacles at the point of purchase . In the current inflationary environment , brands should take note of the drivers of behaviours for consumers that are clearly impacted by the positive impact on reduced costs , as well as the sustainable impact .’
VEKA Recycling does appear to be well ahead of that challenge .
www . veka-recycling . co . uk
28 MAY 2023 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM