As part of our wider, product lifecycle plan - a scheme committed to creating materials that can be recycled post-purpose up to eight times – we’re pursuing innovations to further reduce environmental impact at our original product manufacturing source.

We hope that by following a manufacturing route built around the development of materials made from bio-based PVC, our green credentials will continue to improve for the benefit of the environment and customers alike.

With a comparable feel, flexibility and processing requirement to traditional PVC products, the bio-based compounds we use derive from non-phthalate plant-based plasticizers and are made from a renewable feedstock rather than petroleum-based resources. 

“Currently, approximately 4 percent of the world’s oil resources are used in plastics production, with most products made from petrochemicals, which means that fossil feedstocks are typically used in the process,” Alan Tunnicliffe, Process Improvement Manager at Swish explains.

“However, by seeking a more sustainable route to PVC production using bio-mass alternatives - often referred to as bio-ethanol oil - the required hydrogen and carbon usually derived from fossil feedstocks can be extracted from a more environmentally sound source, delivering a 90 percent reduction in carbon footprint ‘expense’.”

Alan goes on to explain that we’re building upon innovative new relationships with suppliers that offer the capabilities and development plans to produce bio-attributable PVC: 

“By working with cutting-edge manufacturing partners that offer full transparency throughout the supply chain, we’re better equipped to pursue a path towards improved sustainability. And, as we continue working within the Vinyl 2010 Plus framework – a directive created to support industry leaders in recovering and recycling post-consumer PVC - we’re extending our environmental credentials yet further and reinforcing our commitment to the sector’s increasingly sustainable future.”

Alan confirms that this more environmentally-sound PVC can, like its traditional counterpart, be fully recycled numerous times to support better management of used materials and enable successful repurposing.

“Technologies to reduce the quantities of crude oil used in the PVC manufacturing processes and limit the amount of post-use materials entering the landfill system are increasingly coming to the fore. It’s our intention to ensure Swish continues to be part of the industry’s wider effort to encourage manufacturing change and create products to build a better future for all.”