Why PVC

One of the indispensable substances of daily life is undoubtedly polymer. PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) is an important member of this very large family of polymers and is a modern synthetic (artificial) material. Produced from two natural resources, oil and salt, PVC was one of the first plastics to develop commercially. Today, PVC has a wide range of applications in our modern life, from children’s toys, water collection and distribution pipes, bottles and bags, various sports equipment, automobile upholstery and wiper systems, window profiles, batteries, electrical insulation materials, cables, credit cards, food containers, medical materials such as blood bags, serum tubes, surgical gloves and heart catheters.

The widespread use of PVC in all areas of our lives and in window profiles is based on the following basic features:

* Durability and lightness: Compared to wood and aluminum materials used in window profile and door production, PVC material is more durable and functional. PVC’s abrasion resistance, light weight and good mechanical strength and toughness are very important technical advantages for its use in building and construction applications.

* Fire resistance: PVC is naturally difficult to ignite due to the presence of chlorine atoms in the polymer chain, i.e. the flame temperature is high. Combustion stops immediately when the heat source is removed. This makes PVC particularly suitable for This feature makes PVC suitable for windows, doors, cladding, etc. applications such as windows, doors, cladding, etc.

* Longevity: Before making products from PVC material, PVC is combined with a series of special additives. Additives determine the mechanical properties, gloss, weather resistance, color, clarity and electrical properties of the product.
PVC is resistant to weathering, chemical decay, corrosion, shock and abrasion. It is therefore the reason of choice for customers in products exposed to the open air and in many different places where long life is desired.
For example, it is estimated that 75% of PVC pipes will have a lifespan of more than 40 years (with the potential to increase to 100 years). In other applications, such as window profiles and cable insulation, studies have shown that more than 60% of them have a lifespan of more than 40 years. Wood is short-lived.

* Cost-effectiveness: PVC’s light weight, strength and design flexibility provide price advantages in many applications. The PVC components used in the construction offer excellent price/performance advantages. PVC does not require the maintenance and painting that wood definitely needs. PVC is durable and well suited for long-term and maintenance-free applications. The cost of construction and use of PVC is lower than aluminum and wood.

* Environmentally friendly: In evaluations and independent studies that take into account the life cycle from production to disposal and the degree of environmental impact during this cycle, the environmental impact of PVC has been found to be positive compared to other materials used in window profile and door production. All materials produced from PVC, which is a recyclable material, and which are no longer in use are reshaped over and over again to become finished products.

* Good insulator: The heat transmission coefficient of PVC material is better, i.e. lower, compared to wood and aluminum materials used in the production of window profiles and doors (λPVC= 0.16 W/mK, λALUMINUM= 200 W/mK and λWOOD= 0.20 W/mK). Therefore, PVC is the best material used in window profile and door production in terms of heat saving. Besides heat, PVC is a real insulation material against sound, moisture and similar external influences.

* Versatility: The physical properties of PVC give designers a high degree of freedom when designing. PVC is therefore widely used in the construction, packaging, medical, electrical, electronics, automotive sectors, in short, in all areas of our lives.

* Reusability: Construction materials such as pipes, window profiles and floor coverings can be reused at the end of their life. With this feature, PVC provides significant benefits in terms of environment and economy.

PVC ve Alüminyum Pencerelerinin Karbon Ayak İzi Açısından Karşılaştırılması

Carbon footprint is a term used to describe the amount of carbon that each person causes to be emitted into the atmosphere during activities such as transportation, heating, energy consumption or during the production stages of any product they purchase. In other words, it refers to the sum of carbon gases released into the atmosphere during the production of the energy required for every product we buy or every activity we carry out.

Climate change, which has been ongoing for millions of years under the influence of natural processes, has increased its impact and damage due to human-induced environmental pollution. It is a fact that every person and organization has duties in order to properly transfer the clean and healthy environmental heritage we have received from the past to future generations.

In this context, it has become an important task to work on the calculation and reduction of carbon footprint both to show our sensitivity to the environment and climate and to make a concrete contribution to the measures taken against environmental pollution.

Carbon footprint calculates the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by a business or an activity, commonly referred to as global warming potential. CO₂ equivalent is measured in kilograms or tons.

In the study for carbon footprint comparison, the energy consumption of PVC and Aluminum window frames of the same type and size, from raw material creation to installation in the building, and as a result, CO₂ emission amounts in kg were calculated. In this study, the carbon footprint of the PVC window frame was found to be 248.8 kg CO₂ and the carbon footprint of the aluminum window frame was found to be 485.9 kg CO₂. The carbon footprint of an aluminum window frame is 2 times higher than that of a PVC window frame.

In addition, the thermal insulation performance of the window made of PVC profiles is also high. Therefore, by saving heating energy in winter and air conditioning energy in summer in the places where they are used
Another issue is that the energy consumption of PVC windows for recycling after their long lifetime is very low compared to the recycling energy consumption of aluminum windows.

PVC windows are preferred over windows made of other materials due to their low carbon footprint in all production stages, long life and superior insulation performance during their use, and low carbon footprint in their recycling.