Beiträge

New AGPU member: Benvic Europe GER GmbH

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After Polysecure GmbH, AGPU can welcome Benvic Europe GER GmbH from Munich as another new member from the PVC value chain. The company is part of the Benvic Europe Group, which has production sites in France, Italy and Spain and is active in 60 countries including Germany and employs 220 people. According to their information, Benvic Europe is a leading company in the PVC industry and produces individual compounds in the form of dry blends and granulates for its customers. These are used in the construction, electrical and automotive industries, among others.

http://www.benvic.com/de/

Register now: VinylPlus Sustainability Forum 2018 in Madrid

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In a good two weeks, on 16 and 17 May 2018, the VinylPlus® Sustainability Forum (VSF) will take place in Madrid under the motto „Meeting Societal Needs“. Here you have the opportunity to discuss with decision-makers from politics, the media, industry and NGOs what an important contribution PVC already makes to sustainable development today and can still make in the future. Among other things, the focus is on the role of vinyl in the European Circular Economy Package and the resource and energy efficiency of PVC products.

In addition to presentations on the PVC situation in emerging economies such as India and South Africa, panel discussions will also focus on the political framework conditions and incentives for achieving the sustainability targets.

AGPU Managing Director Thomas Hülsmann will also attend the event and is looking forward to the active participation of the member companies. The event programme can be downloaded from the VinylPlus website. If you are interested, you can register there directly.

http://events.vinylplus.eu/vsf2018

KBD: New advertorial on sustainable construction

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In the current April issue of Kommunaler Beschaffungsdienst (KBD), the AGPU has published an advertorial (including title page) on the topics of sustainable construction and resource and energy efficiency as part of the VinylPlus communication project on green public procurement. The magazine is aimed in particular at decision-makers in municipal administrations and companies.

The AGPU has already published several advertorials in the past years and also had produced special editions. These are used for specific target groups and can be used by AGPU member companies for trade fairs and customer events, for example.

Stable growth expected for the window industry in 2018

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Window sales in Germany are expected to increase again in 2018 by 2.8 percent – measured by the number of windows actually installed. This is predicted by the current study of the four leading industry associations, which was prepared in cooperation with the publisher Heinze. This means that around 14.6 million window units could have been sold by the end of this year. The recently raised overall economic forecasts and the continuing high demand for residential construction due to immigration support this development.

Stable growth is expected again in the new construction and renovation, residential and non-residential construction segments in 2018. 57.1 percent of all windows produced are expected to be used for the renovation or energetic refurbishment of existing buildings in 2018; the market volume in this area will increase by around 2.2 percent. The number of windows used in new construction will increase by 3.6 percent and thus reach a market share of 42.9 percent.

In terms of frame materials, the proportion of wooden windows is expected to remain fairly constant at 15.1 percent in 2018. PVC windows will also maintain their high market share. With growth almost identical to that of the market as a whole, their share is expected to be around 57.6 percent.

Presentation of VinylPlus Product Label for PVC window systems

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At the FENSTERBAU FRONTALE in Nuremberg, the VinylPlus® Product Label was presented as the new sustainability label for PVC window systems. The product label was developed by VinylPlus in cooperation with the established organisations Building Research Establishment (BRE) and the NGO The Natural Step (TNS). The first four companies, which had successfully verified the high requirements in external audits, were presented with the certificates. In addition to AGPU member companies Schüco and VEKA, REHAU and Epwin are also among these first certified window system manufactures.

Further information on the product label can be found at http://label.vinylplus.eu

New Spring Issues of STARKE SEITEN and BLITZ-INFO

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Over 27,000 copies of the spring issue of our magazine STARKE SEITEN were sent out to readers, mainly to decision-makers from various target groups and to recipients in the PVC industry and its value chain in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. AGPU is distributing some of these copies together with BLITZ-INFO, which is also published three times a year, summarises up-to-date information on the sustainable development of PVC and is sent to over 6,500 decision-makers in the fields of politics, authorities, industry and trade together with a personal letter. The focus of this issue ise on sustainable building and construction, resource and energy efficiency.

If you would also like to use STARKE SEITEN for your communication activities, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to send you more information.

Prowindo Press Conference at FENSTERBAU FRONTALE

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Ensuring quality and protecting the environment: These were the key topics at the Prowindo press conference at FENSTERBAU Frontale in Nuremberg on March 22nd. In their presentations, the six Prowindo members presented solutions to meet current and future challenges. These include, for example, the achievement of climate protection targets and new requirements for materials and design.

„Together with our member companies, we have been committed to this sustainable material along the value chain for 30 years. With its innovative products, the PVC industry is already well positioned in terms of sustainability,“ said Thomas Hülsmann, Managing Director of AGPU. „However, in order to achieve the German climate targets set for 2050, the challenges must be tackled even more purposefully. This also includes the political framework conditions in the construction sector.“

The complete press release and all presentations of the Prowindo partners can be downloaded from its website: www.prowindo.de.

Programme of the VinylPlus Sustainability Forum 2018 announced

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The programme of the VinylPlus® Sustainability Forum 2018 from 16th to 17th May 2018 in Madrid has been published and is available for download on the VinylPlus website where registration is now open. As national partner of VinylPlus, AGPU sent out an invitation to its member companies and Managing Director Thomas Hülsmann will also attend the event. He is looking forward to the active participation of AGPU member companies at this “not to be missed” sustainability forum.

https://vinylplus.eu/mediaroom/69/55/Meeting-Societal-Needs-is-the-theme-for-this-year-s-forum

Chlorine Production in the EU now mercury-free

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The final deadline for chlorine production based on the so-called amalgam/mercury process in the EU expired on 11 December 2017. According to the companies, all plants concerned have either been converted to the membrane technology or closed.

According to Eurochlor, there were still around 2.1 million mercury-based chlorine capacities per year in 2017. Productions with a capacity of 775,000 t/y were closed, the remainder was converted and replaced by new technologies. As a result, the total chlorine capacity in the EU in 2017 has thus been reduced from a good 12 million tonnes per year to around 11.25 million tonnes per year.

According to the industry association, about one third of chlorine is used in PVC production, making it the largest single application.

PVC Windows: Market Share of 57.7% in Germany

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According to the estimates of the four industry associations VFF, pro-K, FV S+B and BF, positive overall economic conditions and rising residential construction lead to positive impulses on the German window market. The slight upward trend that has been continuing since 2007 is thus continuing. Based on the 13.8 million window units (WU) in 2016, sales of windows in Germany are expected to increase by 2.9 % to 14.2 million WU in 2017, according to a Heinze study. In 2018, an even stronger increase of 3.3% to 14.8 million WU is considered possible.

With regard to frame materials, the four industry associations expect only minor shifts in the current year. Experts expect that PVC windows will reach a market share of 57.7 %. The industry associations are also expecting increasing growth rates in the field of exterior doors. PVC doors will account for 32.8% of unit sales in 2018. For comparison: aluminium doors 32.5%, timber doors 25.3%, other materials 9.4%.