Choosing 100 % recycled profiles

By 2030, we want to reduce CO₂-consumption in construction by half to achieve fully circular construction by 2050. Ploeg frames already chose the 100 % recycled Elegant Infinity 115 X profiles from Deceuninck's new Phoenix series for the frames of their own offices and for the Avignon School in Eindhoven. Deceuninck has long been committed to a sustainable future and is today the largest recycler of rigid plastics in the Benelux.

Specialist in plastic window frames grows

Jos van der Ploeg, founder of today's Ploeg kozijnen, came into contact with PVC in 1985 through Deceuninck, the Belgian producer of plastic profiles for windows and doors. Today, his company is still specialized in the production of plastic window frames, dormers, sliding doors and doors. In the last 5 years, the number of employees was approximately doubled. At the same time, the needs of the private (B2C) market and the business and project (B2B) market grew significantly apart. 

"About three years ago, things started to get very tight at our Nieuw-Vennep site. We could have expanded further at the existing location, but in the end it seemed more efficient to buy a building with a large outdoor area in the industrial zone," says Martien Akerboom, B2B manager at Ploeg frames. 

"In the end, it still took quite a while before we could start the works, but we used it to think about how to optimize our organization and set up this new location. Thus, we decided to leave our B2C department together with production in the existing buildings and to accommodate the B2B department together with shipping at the new location. We also decided not to demolish the building at the new site, but to renovate it thoroughly. So we sawed off the roof of the hall, raised the façade from 4 meters to 7 meters, and simply put the original roof back on top. We also reused the furniture, facade panels and overhead doors." 

Choice of recycled profiles

Better insulation, energy-efficient installations, LED lighting and solar panels ensure that the new facility is electrically fully self-sufficient and also sustainable: from energy label E to A⁺ for the hall and A⁺⁺⁺ for the offices. 

It is also the first project with circular plastic window frames for Ploeg in the Netherlands. Indeed, at Ploeg window frames they used our new Elegant Infinity profiles from the Phoenix line, which consist of 100% recycled plastic. The Elegant Infinity 115 X is the classic model for the standard construction method in the Netherlands. In addition to the installation depth of 115 mm for the frame, the sloped front with a possible inclination of 5° or 15° is also typical. Like variant Elegant Infinity 76 X, this profile is equipped as standard with a Forthex-reinforced frame with steel-reinforced sash," explains Erwin de Voys, commercial director for the Netherlands for
Deceuninck, toe. 

"These Phoenix window profiles are offered with a white plastic exterior color and can always be clad on one or two sides. There are 50 color options to choose from in four different styles: natural wood, colored wood, solids and metallics."

Also frames made of recycled plastic for school building

Meanwhile, Ploeg kozijnen also supplied Phoenix windows made of 100 % recycled plastic for the Aloysius Foundation's new school complex on Avignonlaan in Eindhoven. After all, developer and main contractor Dura Vermeer received a package of requirements from the client in which sustainability played an absolute leading role. 

"They wanted to create a combination of durable standard plastic window frames, 100% circular window frames in one of the patios, and refurbished aluminum window frames in another patio. Ploeg window frames was one of three manufacturers they approached for this project. We showed them in our showroom how sustainable the profiles from the Deceuninck Premium line already were and also discussed the circular plastic window frame we were working on with our Belgian profile supplier," says Akerboom. 

"We ended up supplying 155 Deceuninck Premium frames for the facade, followed by the general contractor's request to also supply 30 fully circular Elegant Infinity 115 X frames from the Phoenix line."

Circular enterprise

The circular window frames in these two projects are a great premiere for the Phoenix series. Both Ploeg window frames and Deceuninck have high ambitions when it comes to circular construction. 

"The circular economy is an alternative to the traditional linear economy. At Deceuninck, we already started recycling in 2012. We then commissioned a high-tech recycling line at our compounding site in Diksmuide. In 2018, we quadrupled our recycling capacity to 45,000 tons of plastic or 2.3 million old windows per year," adds Sarah Popelier, marketing manager at Deceuninck. 

"This Phoenix line represents a new milestone. We were already incorporating recycled plastic in our profiles, but Phoenix is the first series of profiles to consist of recycled plastic for 100%. We call on the market to send broken-out plastic window frames to us so that we can recycle even more and use it to produce new profiles. In this way, Deceuninck is prepared for the future, where using a maximum percentage of recycled material will become the norm."