A world leader in plastic pipe systems, Wavin knew it would be no easy task to make its products with more than 50% recycled content. But demand and necessity drove the company to develop Recycore® Technology, and joined an alliance for an International Green Deal.
The difficulty was in determining which post-consumer plastics to use and how to achieve the quality its clients depend on while using more than half recycled material. Wavin found them in pipes, profiles, windows and sheeting.
“They were considered as waste in the past. Now we can give a second life to these materials,” says Lukasz Jaskowiak, Category Manager at Wavin.
Wavin blends the recycled material with additives to make multi-layer, solid-core pipes. The products include 110 and 160mm drain and soil pipe in their OSMA and Hepworth brands.
“Our project has a real big impact on the sustainability and green image of PVC in general,” Jaskowiak says. “This is important for the long term acceptance of PVC as a raw material, especially when competing with heavier, more traditional materials like concrete.”
Wavin has also signed the International Green Deal as part of the North Sea Resources Roundabout. The grouping includes France, Flanders, the UK and the Netherlands, committed to stepping up recycling within the international value chain.
“We think it’s a good deal for us and a good deal for the planet,” Jaskowiak says. “We believe in putting the word sustainability to action.”
Find out more about Wavin’s Recycore® in their video: http://www.recycoretechnology.co.uk/