Green Building with VEKA Vinyl

VEKA Umwelttechnik (Environmental Technology) in Behringen Germany is a total recycling facility for vinyl windows. Whole vinyl windows are mechanically seperated into their vinyl, rubber, glass and metal components for reuse in other products.

Defining whether a building material is “green” is not an exact science. But there is still a role for objective analysis, comparison of materials and the discussion of testing methods.

VEKA is a German based privately held multi-national corporation with 25 extrusion facilities in 20 countries. As such we have greater control over our business operations and the corporate culture which is to think globally and act locally. To that end we are careful to mind not only the profitability of the business but to act as a responsible member of the communities in which we live and operate. We have found that economic health and environmental/social concerns are not mutually exclusive.

VEKA has created the dedicated position of Safety & Environmental Manager with the responsibility to constantly review our operations for safety concerns and process efficiency. We have found that improved safety, productivity and resource use can and does reduce overall operating costs while minimizing strain on local infrastructure and ecosystem.

VEKA recycles some in house vinyl scrap into non-critical PVC shapes such as our bundle box packaging for smaller shapes. The remainder is sold to a third party for reuse in other vinyl applications. A “Customer Buy Back Program” was initiated by VEKA to recycle post manufacturing waste vinyl keeping it out of the waste stream.

VEKA ships finished profile in returnable steel racks. These racks safely transport product to and serves as a convenient storage system for our vinyl lineals at the customer’s fabrication facility.

We encourage customers to use cut-offs (scrap) to manufacture other saleable products such as birdhouses, planters, benches, trellis etc. This generates more money than scrap buy back while reducing overall waste.


Why PVC is a green building material

The Vinyl Institute (www.vinylinfo.org) has compiled a list of the benefits of vinyl. They include the following:

Vinyl adds value to everyday life
Vinyl is the leading plastic material in the construction market. Vinyl requires less maintenance, frequently outlasts competitive materials and often outperforms them, making quality housing more affordable. It contributes to a higher standard of living by making critical products more affordable, more durable and more dependable.

Vinyl is a highly efficient user of natural resources
Only 43 percent of vinyl comes from non-renewable petroleum feedstocks. The balance (57 percent) comes from salt. World-wide vinyl production represents less than .3 percent of all annual oil and gas consumption.

Vinyl saves resources and energy during its life cycle
In a study of construction applications, vinyl was one of three plastic materials with the lowest energy requirements, saving more than 34 million BTUs per 1,000 pounds made. In the construction market, it saves about 44.2 million barrels of oil per year.

Vinyl can be recycled
Upward of 20 million pounds of post-consumer vinyl is recycled in the U.S. yearly. The industry supports efforts to expand recycling for construction and demolition scrap

Vinyl’s fire performance is well-known and well-tested
Vinyl products are inherently flame-retardant due to their chlorine base, do not readily ignite and most will not continue to burn once a flame source is removed. The products of vinyl combustion are no more hazardous than those produced by other materials, both natural and synthetic.

Vinyl additives have been carefully researched
Vinyl performance additives are closely regulated by a number of agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food & Drug Administration and the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

The vinyl industry subscribes to strict standards
The manufacture of vinyl is closely regulated to minimize its impact on human health and the environment. The U.S. EPA has estimated that the vinyl industry’s VCM emissions have been reduced by over 99 percent since new workplace standards were introduced in the 1970’s.

Vinyl products meet a demanding range of health and safety standards established by numerous agencies including the Food & Drug Administration, the National Sanitation Foundation and the National Fire Protection Association, all three model building codes and the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

 

PVC: A Versatile Building Material

Vinyl is the world’s most versatile plastic. Because PVC resin can be combined with many additives and modifiers, vinyl can meet the requirements for products in many industries. Vinyl is chosen over other materials because of its low cost, versatility and performance properties. Vinyl is strong, durable, abrasion and moisture resistant; withstands rust and corrosion; is electrically non-conductive and has excellent fire performance properties. Because it has been used for more than a half century, it is one of the world’s most analyzed and tested materials.

Formulast Technology is VEKA’s method of formulating and extruding our various vinyl compounds for specific applications. Utilizing the latest computer technology and detailed dimensional drawings, VEKA engineers are able to produce new and innovative products to satisfy the building needs in any geographic region from this amazing material.


Vinyl products with VEKA PVC have a very enviro-friendly product life cycle.

1. VEKA vinyl conserves forests: Made from relatively inexpensive PVC means that VEKA vinyl products save
our precious forest resources.

2. VEKA vinyl conserves resources: Vinyl fence and deck board has a life cycle of 20 years vs. wood 7-10 years and will outlast 2 or 3 conventional installations.

3. VEKA vinyl saves oil or gas: Polyvinyl chloride is a plastic with the lowest petroleum content about 43% the remainder is chlorine a common, inexpensive naturally occurring element.

4. VEKA vinyl protects the air and soil: PVC never needs to be stained, painted, UV treated or water sealed. This not only saves time and money (estimated $152 per year for a 10’ x 20’ wood deck) but also keeps potentially harmful fumes and chemicals from being introduced into the air and soil.

 

US Green Building Council

The United States Green Building Council, the National Association of Home Builders and the Green Building Initiative are among a number of organizations involved in promoting green building guidelines. There is agreement in a number of areas, such as more efficient use of resources like water and energy. However, there is disagreement in other areas, including the definition and evaluation of “greenness” and “sustainability,” especially over the long term.

The USGBC has taken an important step in this direction by looking at the most widely used building plastic—vinyl through a comprehensive methodology (life-cycle assessment and risk analysis). After two years reviewing 2,400 studies, stakeholder meetings, etc., USGBC’s advisory committee recommended that vinyl could have a role in green buildings – in fact, it may surpass other materials in certain applications.

The USGBC did not specifically look at fence and deck materials. Industry leaders point out that they are not components that impact indoor air quality or energy use, two criteria for green products. In an examination of comparable materials, like vinyl windows, vinyl performed well in life cycle assessments, requiring no painting or staining and offering substantial durability. The result is that vinyl also conserves resources, an important component in sustainability.