What is sustainability?
The principles of sustainability that now
impact heavily on the activities of Local Authorities, RSL's and
increasingly in the newbuild sector, were first established at the
1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
(Earth Summit).
They became known as Agenda21. Simply put they
established the principle of the "Triple bottom line". This states
that sustainability is not just about minimising environmental
impacts but also about:
 encouraging
social progress promoting
economic growth and protecting
and enhancing the environment.In other words we should seek to "Meet the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their needs".
The 'triple bottom line' theory of
sustainability was developed during the 1990's and is now applied
at a high level across all public sector refurbishment and
construction projects in the UK. The concept of sustainability is
also being widely accepted as desirable within society in general
.
These websites provide further information on
sustainability:
At the product level it is easy to jump to
conclusions about the sustainability of a man made material, such
as PVC, as compared to a natural material such as wood. One might
intuitively suspect that natural materials provide a more
sustainable choice.
The evidence does not bear this out and when
taken in the round PVC offers a longer life with less financial
cost and less contribution to pollution. PVC is recyclable but
timber that has been treated with any form of preservative
represents a disposal hazard whether dealt with by incineration or
landfill.
For guidance on the principles for assessing
the sustainability of products and services in construction, the
report of the Housing Forum working party in 1999, is still an
excellent reference document. The report recommended that reduction
of carbon dioxide emissions, minimisation of pollution, benefits in
whole life costs, efficient use of resources and demonstrable
benefits for the community should be key criteria.
Generally PVC is selected for construction
applications because of its combination of aesthetics, lightness,
strength, formability and probably most importantly, its long life
span requiring minimal maintenance. Swish cellular PVC also
measures up well in terms of the Housing Forum's sustainability
criteria.
Reduce carbon dioxide
emissions
Swish
Building Products has invested in minimising environmental impacts
by promoting efficiency throughout the manufacturing, specification
and installation processes. Swish is working towards the
elimination of all recyclable production scrap while installation
scrap is minimised through intelligent specification and
installation training.PVC
profiles are system build products which are efficient in material
usage. In comparison a significant percentage of timber products
end up as waste and this after considerable waste has been created
extracting the timber product from the tree.PVC
products have a life expectancy extending into decades without
generating further CO2 releases. The low maintenance aspect of PVC
stands in marked contrast to timber which requires recoating every
few years to avoid degeneration. This maintenance cycle generates
further CO2 emissions, including those
produced in the transportation of labour and materials to and from
site.Minimisation of
pollution
Cellular
PVC is a safe, inert material that represents an environmentally
responsible use of plastics. The European Commission and the UK
Government have been generally positive about PVC and its
environmental impact, but have recommended the elimination of lead
in PVC production. Swish
itself has used a non-lead formula for more than a decade in
roofline, cladding, and window trim profiles, a move that was made
on environmental grounds. Swish
also operates an in house waste reduction programme focusing on the
quality of the product and the production process. Consequential
improvements in equipment, tooling, processes, work priorities and
product formulation have significantly reduced waste. Swish
minimises post-production material waste via a specification
support package. The Swish Technical support team draws up product
schedules that maximise board usage and minimise wastage onsite
while product innovations help to reduce the time and materials
normally consumed in the roofline construction process. In
contrast to the increasing volumes of treated timber going to land
fill, Swish cellular PVC profiles can be reground and recycled as
practical, post consumer programs become available.Consider whole life
costs
Material
costs no longer represent a barrier to the use of cellular PVC and
the costs of installation are lower than timber. PVC now represents
a significant whole life cost advantage over timber. Timber
must be treated with paint or stains, which involve additional
labour and material costs, the finished quality and durability of
which cannot be guaranteed. Specifiers
wishing to achieve best value for social housing, can make a simple
calculation about the future maintenance costs of timber. This
could involve refurbishment, once every 5 to 7 years, over four
decades with a complete substrate replacement after 30 years. PVC
on the other hand has a working life extending into decades with
minimal cosmetic maintenance and greater predictability in its
performance. Accelerated
weathering tests conducted by the British Board of Agrement,
suggest that Swish profiles will retain their decorative function
for at least 20 years, and Swish offers a market leading
performance guarantee to back this up. |
|
Sustainability |
 |
