BALANCE by GEALAN
The CO₂-optimised window profile
How is BALANCE structured?
Modern PVC windows have high thermal insulation values. By installing them, existing buildings can be renovated to make them more energy-efficient or new buildings can be made more energy-efficient. In addition, PVC windows impress with their long service life. Another advantage is their recyclability. With this, they are making a contribution to climate protection. This is even more pronounced if the windows are made of CO₂-optimised profiles . This is what we pay attention to when manufacturing BALANCE:
- As is customary in the production of all our profiles, we use PVC recyclate in the profile core as standard. So far, more than 30% of the material we use to make profiles has already been recycled. This proportion is rising steadily.
- Bio-attributed PVC is added to the profile shell. This is no longer based on fossil oil, but on renewable biomass.
This is how the CO₂-optimised BALANCE profiles are created. ISCC Plus certifies that the raw materials used really come from sustainable sources.
What is bio-attributed PVC?
PVC is produced from ethylene. Ethylene (C₂H₄) is conventionally obtained from fossil crude oil by thermal splitting . This process is called cracking. Innovative processes now enable the production of renewable ethylene. It is produced from second-generation biomass. This means that it is produced from plant residues or by-products that do not compete with the production of food. An example of this is used cooking oil.
The ethylene is synthesized into vinyl chloride with the addition of chlorine (obtained from rock salt or sea salt) and polymerized to polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In order to make production even more sustainable , the entire process is carried out using green electricity.
Compared to conventionally produced PVC, this saves around 90% of CO2 (information from PVC supplier Westlake Vinnolit on its Vinnolit GreenVin® bio-attributed PVC). The technical properties of the material remain unchanged.
This bio-attributed PVC is ISCC Plus certified and mass balanced. It is also used in profile production.
ISCC Plus is a voluntary certification. It demonstrates the sustainable origin of bio-based as well as circular raw materials in the production and supply chains of our profiles.
What does mass balancing mean?
Similar to green electricity , bio-attributed PVC is also mass balanced. This means that the feed into production is not physical, but separate from an accounting point of view.
Bio-attributed PVC ( identical to conventional PVC in its material properties) is added to the total production without separation. The bio-attributed proportion of the raw materials used is attributed to the plastic profiles produced.
- A BALANCE window profile is not made of separate PVC. It is exactly the same product as a window profile made of conventional PVC.
- However, it has an ISCC Plus certificate, which confirms the entry of bio-attributed raw materials as well as resource-saving processes.
Accordingly, BALANCE window profiles actively and demonstrably contribute to resource conservation and CO₂ optimization .
How much CO₂ can be saved by BALANCE profiles?
The CO₂ savings of BALANCE window profiles are significant. It can be seen using the example of this calculation of a window from the GEALAN-LINEAR®¹ system:
- The frame-sash combination with recycled core has a recycled content of around 59%, and the CO₂ emission value of the window profiles is reduced by 43%.
- The additional use of bio-attributed PVC in the profile shell leads to a further reduction in emissions.
The BALANCE combination enables a total saving of 65% CO₂ compared to a window profile made of conventional PVC.In relation to the entire window from this example, the recyclate input achieves a CO₂ saving of 10% and the combination with bio-attributed PVC achieves a total saving of 15%².
¹The calculations were made for a single-sash GEALAN-LINEAR® window with profile geometries of 7001 x 7072 and size 1 m x 1.4 m using triple glazing.
²The life cycle phases A1-A3 were considered for the calculation. The savings are based solely on the changes in the materials used in the window profiles. All other components of the window are unchanged.
What are the advantages of BALANCE?
BALANCE window profiles are a sustainable choice . They offer numerous advantages over their entire service life:
- Manufacturers and dealers act as drivers for innovative and sustainable products by processing and distributing the emission-reduced BALANCE profiles, making their contribution to the circular economy and climate protection by reducing their company's CO₂ footprint. In addition, they succeed in differentiating themselves from the competition with BALANCE.
- Private customers can make their homes more sustainable by purchasing windows made of CO₂-optimised BALANCE profiles . Compared to conventional PVC windows, they benefit from the usual high performance values and also from a more resource-saving process. For example, BALANCE windows have a reduced CO₂ footprint, which supports climate protection and contributes to the European goal of CO2 neutrality .
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The GEALAN corporate group is of Europe's leading manufacturers of vinyl profiles for windows and doors.