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Building Services Engineering l November/December 2022
IPPMA REBUTTAL
Recycled plastics offer green alternatives
According to the IPPMA, the CuSP article is misleading as it mixes a variety of statistics about plastic that include single-use and domestic plastic and not just plastic used in the construction industry. It also seeks to equate copper pipes with the copper which is found in a wide variety of food sources and is an essential nutrient for the body. Another misleading assertion made in the article is that pipes containing
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plastic are unsuitable for use in any outdoor application as the plastic can be damaged by UV radiation. In fact, UV resistance in plastic pipes is achieved by the use of additives such as UV stabilisers or protective surface coatings. Life cycle assessments (LCAs) of PE and PVC have been conducted to assess the environmental impacts associated with all stages of their product life – from raw material
extraction through materials processing, manufacture and distribution to final use, repair, maintenance and disposal or recycling. In 2017, for example, The Life Cycle Assessment of PVC Water and Sewer Pipe and Comparative Sustainability Analysis of Pipe Materials was published in the US. This was the first comprehensive environmental review of underground piping systems in North America. The results of this
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