Sustainable Products for the Building Industry
PVC is the best sustainable solution when it comes to building materials. It has a low carbon footprint of just 1.9kg per kilo with recycled PVC dropping even lower, to an incredible 0.3kg per kilo. PVC is the low maintenance, long life, value for money choice for all building products such as fascia, soffit, guttering and exterior cladding.
In 2010, a post-consumer waste target of 200,000 tonnes was exceeded and an impressive 250,000 tonnes of plastic was recycled nationally. Figures issued by the British Plastics Federation suggest that by 2020 this will have increased even further to over 800,000 tonnes.
High profile projects now regularly utilise PVC, such as the 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). The ODA used 140,000 square meters of PVC plastic throughout various venues during the London 2012 Olympic Games. This displayed profound confidence in the sustainable development programme that the PVC industry has put in place.
Recycled Material Throughout Our Entire Range
All of Freefoam’s products contain recycled material. Some are produced using an impressive 85% of recycled content such as the co-extruded Freeflow® gutter system. We currently capture up to 85% of waste material during and after the production process for recycling and are engaged in projects that will increase this to 98%. Freefoam ensures the integrity of its materials by recycling its own materials. This ensures we are able to maintain performance promises made in our product guarantees.
Environmental Management Accreditation
Freefoam is committed to the prevention of pollution and the continual improvement of environmental management and performance. To strengthen its commitment, Freefoam has achieved the ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System certification at its site in Northampton. This is implemented on an on-going and permanent basis.
Lead-Free from the Core to the Skin
Unlike some manufacturers of PVC-UE foam products, Freefoam insists on a 100% lead-free formulation. Others may produce only lead-free skins without taking into account the foam core. While this may be a technically correct method at the moment, Freefoam isn’t prepared to compromise on this environmental matter. 100% lead-free means a complete lead-free product, not just a lead-free skin.
Reduced Waste Means a Lower Carbon Footprint
Freefoam runs very efficient sites using state-of-the-art equipment combined with the best performing raw materials. This allows us to consistently control the manufacturing process, resulting in a scrap rate of below 10%. Less energy is expended during the manufacture of the finished products meaning a reduced carbon footprint can be achieved. We pride ourselves on the substantially low wastage figures which marks the efforts we put in to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible. Thanks to our industry experience, we are aware of the way our processes can affect our footprint, putting us one step ahead of many other manufacturers.
A+ Rated Cladding
The BRE ‘Green Guide to Specification’ has given our PVC cladding an impressive A+ rating if installed with standard insulation components. Freefoam cladding can improve thermal insulation to help reduce heat loss and lower energy bills.