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Kömmerling Nederland has been committed to sustainability and innovation for more than half a century. With an eye for people and the environment, the plastic window frame profiles are continuously developed. And the organization itself does not stand still either. In this article, together with Marketing and Communication Advisor Melissa Manrho and Sustainability & Innovation Manager Jelmer Bijlsma, we look back at the most important developments of recent years. But above all, we also look ahead. "Our ambition is to make the difference today and to make the right choices for the world of tomorrow," Manrho and Bijlsma tell us. "In other words, Today for Tomorrow. As ambitious and determined doers, we have the will and power to bring about positive change in everything we do. We not only want to be a pioneer, but also a role model for the industry. After all, you don't make truly sustainable impact alone."
Back in 2013, Kömmerling Netherlands started an extensive process to improve and preserve the technical specifications of its K-VISION profile systems. "Here, for example, the insulation values of the profile systems were improved," Bijlsma says. "It also became possible to fit thicker glass packages. By standardizing the system internationally, the number of profiles could be reduced. This enables more efficient production."
Aesthetically, the profiles were made tighter and sleeker. By using recycled content, we were able to make significant savings on finite raw materials, transport and CO2-emissions. The proportion of recycled material increased incrementally in the following years."
A first followed in 2020 with ReFrame, the very first truly circular window frame based on 100% recycled plastic. Three years later, Kömmerling surprised the market with bio-attributed PVC, a raw material variant in which the fossil component has been replaced by a renewable alternative. "We now see that our fellow companies are also picking up similar initiatives and we can only be proud of that," says Manrho, "Indeed, with our participation in the VKG trade association and in (international) sustainability teams, we even try to encourage this. By actively sharing knowledge, best practices and lessons learned, we want to motivate the industry as a whole to take sustainable steps and embrace the use of recycled and fossil-free materials, for example."
Kömmerling's ambition is to produce 100% circular window frames based on 100% recycled content. In practice, however, this is proving difficult to achieve because not always enough recyclate is available, says Bijlsma. "That is why we have also looked at the new material we use."
In 2023, for example, this led to the introduction of the world's first-ever fossil-free plastic window frame profiles made from bio-attributed PVC. "
At the basis of these window frame profiles is a vegetable residual product from sustainable forestry and agriculture, with which we are once again making great strides in sustainability and CO2-reduction. Of course, again without sacrificing quality, features and longevity."
The very first fossil-free frame profiles were installed last year in Steenwijk. In addition, a new construction project was also carried out afterwards, using a combination of bio-attributed PVC and a recycled core, says Bijlsma. "This not only gives us the best of both worlds, but also a system that can sustain itself for a long time."
In 2019 and 2020, an independent certification body analyzed and recorded Kömmerling Netherlands' recycling streams. "Based on this, in spring 2020 and as the very first system supplier, we were able to receive the Kiwa Covenant Circular Enterprise," emphasizes Manrho. "A great appreciation as well as proof of our company goal, namely to contribute to a better world with our K-VISION profile systems."
To gain an even better understanding of the environmental performance of Kömmerling's profile systems, life cycle analyses (LCAs) are prepared and the environmental cost indicator (MKI) calculated, says Bijlsma. "Based on this information, architects, consultants and other stakeholders can always select building products with the least environmental impact. Moreover, this stimulates sustainable and circular construction."
Kömmerling Netherlands' efforts have now been rewarded, for example, with a category-1 product card for the K-VISION Trend and K-VISION Trend ReFrame series in the National Environmental Database.
Meanwhile, the number of profiles using recycled content continues to increase, he emphasizes. "In the Netherlands, 60% by weight of profiles are now supplied with a recycled core, with more on the way. To keep the recycling process going for this, sufficient recyclable content is a must. This is why we have clear customer agreements in place. For example, sawing waste and leftover pieces released from plastic window frame production are actively collected by us and processed into granulate, which we reuse as a raw material. The same applies to old window frames from demolition or renovation projects. Nothing is thrown away or downgraded at Kömmerling. Raw materials are reused at an equivalent level in our production, without sacrificing quality. Time and time again."
"Earlier this year, a state-of-the-art recycling facility was commissioned in Germany and right next to our extrusion hall, which allows for substantial efficiency gains," Manrho says. "For example, residual materials can be incorporated directly into the plant's recycling stream, and the granulate is also reused directly in our extrusion hall."
Manrho and Bijlsma have been active in Kömmerling's Global Sustainability Team for two years, working on sustainability and circularity worldwide. "In addition, to also spar with external parties to learn from each other, we also work on a weekly basis and together with Turntoo on circular strategy," Manrho says. Turntoo is an initiative of Thomas Rau and Sabine Oberhuber, who consider products and buildings to be resource/material depots. Like Manrho and Bijlsma, they strive for an economy in which materials return to the producer after their use. In doing so, they regard man as a temporary guest in the earth's closed system. A closed system that can only remain in balance if reuse and recycling are raised to the highest level.
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