>

Eurocell have just opened their £3 million brand spanking new recycling centre in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. The facility is capable of processing 12,000 post consumer waste frames per week, adding up to an impressive 624,000 frames per year. This massive new operation put them at the forefront of PVCu recycling in the UK.

In an industry which is battling against fluctuating commodity prices and constant price increases, recycling could be a bit of a magic bullet. 

If a manufacturer can count on the majority of it’s PVCu raw material coming from a post consumer waste plant on site, rather than buying in new lengths all the time, then the amount of money that could be saved over time would be immeasurable. And I’m sure a massive relief on what would probably be a very strained profit margin. It would give that company more of a freedom on how it wants to run it’s manufacturing process, and give them more of a say on the type of product it wants to produce and sell.

The environmental benefits are also enormous. Saving 624,000 frames from going in a hole in the ground will have a big impact. Now if every major supplier and manufacturer did the same, imagine the many millions of frames not going to landfill. Then imagine all that extra material which could be used to make brand new windows without having to waste money buying new materials!

There is also a huge commercial and advertising opportunity. Recent research has revealed that a fifth of consumers would be prepared to spend around 10% more for a sustainable and ‘greener’ product, and 60% of people want to buy from an ‘environmentally responsible’ company. So pushing the green ethics of your business and overhauling your recycling commitments has never been so important! Green is cool!