The Swish Cellular PVC formulation uses a high performance Octyl Tin stabiliser - NOT DIBUTYL TIN.

  Octyl Tin complies with the requirements of REACH legislation.

  There are no regulations which restrict its use on Health & Safety or sustainability grounds either now or in the future.

 

Tin performance
Tin stabiliser is a high quality material that is used in construction and other industries. Swish has used a Tin formulation for the last two decades. Swish believes that Octyl Tin will become the stabiliser of choice in the cellular PVC industry as it has been in food packaging and medical contact products for many years.

The original decision to use a tin stabiliser was made in order to move away from lead stabiliser on health and safety grounds. Tin was selected because it performed better than any of the alternatives. Swish has continued to develop its formulation over the last 20 years in order to remain at the forefront in terms of quality, health and safety and sustainability. The current Octyl Tin formulation was developed in order to continue Swish's leading position in the Cellular PVC building products market, particularly in terms of sustainability.

A question of quality
Swish has undertaken production of profiles using Calcium Zinc stabiliser on a commercial scale and has reached the conclusion that Octyl Tin stabiliser produces superior results in terms of quality, whilst being comparable in terms of health and safety.

 

The stabiliser - it's only a small part
It has been suggested in parts of the roofline industry that Calcium Zinc produces a product that is somehow environmentally friendly "throughout". The actual amount of any stabiliser used in a cellular PVC formulation is less than 1% of the weight of the entire profile. The key environmental indicators for any individual PVC product are:

  the efficiency with which the products are manufactured; reducing waste in any form.

  the environmental measures that are taken during manufacture to reduce the  consumption of energy and water.

  the ease with which the formula can be recycled and the number of times this process can take place.

 

Recycling and sustainability
PVC recycling in general is very resource efficient and therefore sustainable in the true sense of the word. Recycling is the means by which the lifetime costs of PVC (environmental and financial) will be further improved in the future. Therefore the recycling of all cellular PVC profiles at the end of their service life is the sustainability goal that Swish is pursuing. Recycling reduces the energy required to produce new profiles by about 90% and so reduces the amount of carbon produced. It also reduces the amount of virgin material that has to be manufactured and captures materials that might otherwise go to landfill.

  The Swish formulation can be recycled many times over without loss of performance.

  Development work at Swish supported by major stabiliser suppliers has confirmed that Octyl Tin stabilised cellular PVC systems have a greater potential for recycling. They therefore represent the best route forward in terms of future-proofing and sustainability.