Martin tells GGP why he's joined the BPF
I joined the BPF to help turn the tide
Years ago homeowners couldn't wait to get rid of their rotting, draughty timber windows. PVC-U windows promised comfort, low maintenance and long life. Compared with timber they looked good and PVC-U swept timber away. But the industry became complacent. It stopped explaining why PVC-U was so good. Eventually timber recovered, pouring huge amounts of money into campaigns such as Wood for Good to convince people to buy timber. But timber and the green lobby went further and campaigned against PVC in all its forms. Much of its anti-PVC propaganda was misinformed and inaccurate. Some was completely untrue. But most of us still assume that if you read it in the papers it must be true. Unfortunately PVC-U was slow to react so the consumer media took timber's word as fact. Some Local Authorities and many architects were taken in too.
Recently, an ignorant and biased report by English Heritage claimed that plastic windows are the biggest threat to England's conservation areas. Even more recently an architect blamed PVC-U windows for melting in the Camberwell fire, thus contributing to the loss of six lives. But, surprise, surprise, when the BPF investigated they discovered the windows were metal not PVC-U! And PVC-U wouldn't have melted, it would have charred.
Such ignorant and deceitful propaganda makes my blood boil
Homeowners and specifiers do believe what they read. And over time it affects what people buy. Timber has been growing at the expense of PVC-U, which is fair enough if it is on its merits. But much of it isn't.
PVC-U is a great material. It continues to out-perform rival materials, particularly where it matters such as low maintenance, long life, cost effectiveness and energy efficiency.
Most of us like wood in its natural state and in furniture, and timber is seen as natural and green. But because timber shouts about its sustainability and environmental credentials it comes as a shock when people realise that in the Building Research Establishment's (BRE) Green Guide PVC-U achieves an A rating for domestic windows and an A+ for commercial windows. Timber also gets an A+ rating. In fact, on 8 out of the 13 points used by the BRE to assess environmental impact PVC-U is at least as good as wood, and on 5 points it is actually better. The points range from climate change, toxicity, ozone depletion, water extraction and waste disposal to acidification and nuclear waste. PVC-U has no need to apologise for itself on sustainability or green issues!
Last summer I launched Fighting Back With Facts (FBWF) to encourage fabricators and installers and the industry to take the threat seriously and fight back with facts. Installers are hit first and hardest when someone attacks PVC-U: they are closest to the consumer. Collectively they have the potential to put the record straight and turn the tide. But they will only do it if they have the confidence, support and information to counter slurs and lies about the product they sell.
Last year, Epwin and Veka launched PVCaware.org. Their focus was different but it was born out of a similar frustration. Later PVCaware.org merged with the BPF.
People have told me that FBWF has been successful in shaking up the industry, bringing an important issue to everyone's attention. FBWF is not a rival to PVCaware.org or the BPF - we share a common goal - but I do believe more needs to be done to defend PVC-U. We need to involve and engage fabricators and installers, and we cannot rely on Systems Companies to do everything for us. That's why Crystal joined the BPF as a fabricator member and why I accepted the invitation to sit on the Group's Marketing Committee. Combining forces means we have a larger voice, with more impact and a better chance of achieving the momentum we need.
Initiatives such as FBWF and PVCaware.org will only succeed if the industry works together, if everyone gets involved, as timber did with Wood for Good and the Wood Window Alliance. We cannot leave it to a few companies to pay membership fees to the BPF and then leave it to some of them to do it all for us. Remember, timber took 20 years to react while PVC-U took the market from them. Let's not make the same mistake.
If the industry thinks someone else is going to save their bacon without them getting involved they are fooling themselves. They have to get involved or we will all be history.
Years ago homeowners couldn't wait to get rid of their rotting, draughty timber windows. PVC-U windows promised comfort, low maintenance and long life. Compared with timber they looked good and PVC-U swept timber away. But the industry became complacent. It stopped explaining why PVC-U was so good. Eventually timber recovered, pouring huge amounts of money into campaigns such as Wood for Good to convince people to buy timber. But timber and the green lobby went further and campaigned against PVC in all its forms. Much of its anti-PVC propaganda was misinformed and inaccurate. Some was completely untrue. But most of us still assume that if you read it in the papers it must be true. Unfortunately PVC-U was slow to react so the consumer media took timber's word as fact. Some Local Authorities and many architects were taken in too.
Recently, an ignorant and biased report by English Heritage claimed that plastic windows are the biggest threat to England's conservation areas. Even more recently an architect blamed PVC-U windows for melting in the Camberwell fire, thus contributing to the loss of six lives. But, surprise, surprise, when the BPF investigated they discovered the windows were metal not PVC-U! And PVC-U wouldn't have melted, it would have charred.
Such ignorant and deceitful propaganda makes my blood boil
Homeowners and specifiers do believe what they read. And over time it affects what people buy. Timber has been growing at the expense of PVC-U, which is fair enough if it is on its merits. But much of it isn't.
PVC-U is a great material. It continues to out-perform rival materials, particularly where it matters such as low maintenance, long life, cost effectiveness and energy efficiency.
Most of us like wood in its natural state and in furniture, and timber is seen as natural and green. But because timber shouts about its sustainability and environmental credentials it comes as a shock when people realise that in the Building Research Establishment's (BRE) Green Guide PVC-U achieves an A rating for domestic windows and an A+ for commercial windows. Timber also gets an A+ rating. In fact, on 8 out of the 13 points used by the BRE to assess environmental impact PVC-U is at least as good as wood, and on 5 points it is actually better. The points range from climate change, toxicity, ozone depletion, water extraction and waste disposal to acidification and nuclear waste. PVC-U has no need to apologise for itself on sustainability or green issues!
Last summer I launched Fighting Back With Facts (FBWF) to encourage fabricators and installers and the industry to take the threat seriously and fight back with facts. Installers are hit first and hardest when someone attacks PVC-U: they are closest to the consumer. Collectively they have the potential to put the record straight and turn the tide. But they will only do it if they have the confidence, support and information to counter slurs and lies about the product they sell.
Last year, Epwin and Veka launched PVCaware.org. Their focus was different but it was born out of a similar frustration. Later PVCaware.org merged with the BPF.
People have told me that FBWF has been successful in shaking up the industry, bringing an important issue to everyone's attention. FBWF is not a rival to PVCaware.org or the BPF - we share a common goal - but I do believe more needs to be done to defend PVC-U. We need to involve and engage fabricators and installers, and we cannot rely on Systems Companies to do everything for us. That's why Crystal joined the BPF as a fabricator member and why I accepted the invitation to sit on the Group's Marketing Committee. Combining forces means we have a larger voice, with more impact and a better chance of achieving the momentum we need.
Initiatives such as FBWF and PVCaware.org will only succeed if the industry works together, if everyone gets involved, as timber did with Wood for Good and the Wood Window Alliance. We cannot leave it to a few companies to pay membership fees to the BPF and then leave it to some of them to do it all for us. Remember, timber took 20 years to react while PVC-U took the market from them. Let's not make the same mistake.
If the industry thinks someone else is going to save their bacon without them getting involved they are fooling themselves. They have to get involved or we will all be history.
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