Cost-Of-Living Crisis Puts Sustainability On Back Foot

Veka has reported the results of a survey that show price continues to supersede sustainability credentials when it comes to homeowner decisions on home improvements.

In February 2022, a similar study of 2,000 UK homeowners showed that although they cared about sustainable windows and doors, it wasn’t enough to pay more. Nine months on in, the midst of an energy fuel crisis and imminent recession, Veka repeated the OnePoll research to see if opinions had changed.

Whilst 75% of respondents still consider sustainable windows and doors to be important, only 26% of homeowners are willing to pay more for recycled products – which is a 5% drop since February.

Veka commercial director, Tim Taylor, says the industry needs to take action to ensure that more homeowners are choosing sustainable windows and doors.

 

 “The results are not surprising to me. I believe that systems houses have a huge part to play in supporting our fabricators and installers in getting sustainability messages across to homeowners.”

– Tim Taylor 

Commercial Director, Veka

 

Discussion moves

The survey did show that, in terms of the product, installation process and/or removal of old products, more conversations are taking place between homeowners and installers. Back in February, just 20% of those that had new windows and doors fitted discussed sustainability, whilst in October, this increased to 37%. 76% of respondents said that sustainability is important when it comes to their homes in general, and 49% of those people are concerned about the impact on the environment.

However, the survey showed that when it comes to final decision making, price, quality and looks are all considered to be of higher importance than a product’s environmental credentials

 

Sustainability should be a given

Veka’s Tayler continues: “Our research once again shows that homeowners believe that sustainability should be a given, which is why they are reluctant to pay a premium for the privilege.  At Veka we don’t believe in eco-ranges, we believe that every product we produce should be manufactured in as sustainable and ethical a manner as possible.

”This ongoing commitment and partnership with sister company Veka Recycling, means that in September 2022, Veka included the highest percentage of recycled content ever recorded – 33%. The average for 2021 was 19%, with the year-to-date average for 2022 raising substantially to 29%.

“Closing the loop on PVC-U recycling is now necessary to build on this success. We need our installers to support us by ensuring that old windows and doors are returned to UK based recycling companies, so that they can be recycled, reprocessed, and returned to the UK market, protecting their supply and strengthening their own sustainability story.”

Picture: Veka says homeowners expect sustainability but don't want to pay more for it.

www.vekauk.com

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
15th December 2022

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