Sustainable, safe windows using chlorine chemistry

PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is often used as a sustainable replacement for wood or aluminium to make door and window frames. Advantages of using PVC for these applications include its excellent resistance to weathering, shock and abrasion. It is easily processed into different styles and is easy to clean and doesn’t require repainting every few years. It is impermeable to gasses and therefore provides an excellent seal with double-paned glass to make windows with a very good insulation performance. Finally it has a high durability and a long life-time.

Another plastic made using chlorine chemistry is polycarbonate. This material can be used as a lightweight replacement for glass because of its excellent light transparency. It is a very good insulator and has a high impact resistance. That makes it safer for many uses than conventional glass. This makes it an ideal material for building verandas or showers but also car headlamps and safety goggles are made of polycarbonate.

Read more

• about the uses of PVC around the town on the European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates website
• about what makes PVC important on the pvc website