Product roadmaps: Window systems

Latest news

September 2009 - An evidence report on the environmental impact of windows has been published. Evidence report September 2009 (PDF 900 KB)

As part of our work on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), we are developing ten product roadmaps to reduce the environmental impacts across the life cycle of a range of priority products, including window systems.

Why window systems?

Evidence shows that, at an EU-25 level, housing – which includes buildings, construction and appliances – accounts for 20-35 percent of all environmental impacts. Within this broader category we know that window systems can generate significant environmental impacts across the lifecycle, for example, waste at the end of life.

Scope of the roadmap

The roadmap will address the significant life cycle environmental impacts as well as enable us to explore the contribution of window systems to increasing the sustainability of buildings. It covers all types of window systems – PVC, wooden and aluminium.

Production and consumption impacts and trends
  • total stock of windows in the UK housing market is estimated at around 230 million units, increasing by around 1.5 million units a year
  • about 20 percent of new windows are installed within one year of a homeowner’s move
  • 16 percent are installed in homes up to ten years old1

The main environmental impact associated with window systems relates to climate change, both in the energy used to make windows, and in the energy needed to operate a building.  In the use phase, windows have a significant effect on heating and lighting requirements.  Maximising efficiency through optimal performance will reduce energy consumption, and hence the climate change impact. 

Other impacts vary depending on the choice of framing material, such as the ability to retrieve and recycle (or recover) old windows at their end-of-life.

Further information

1 Source: Market Transformation Programme

Page last modified: 24 September 2009