COPPER PIPE
ANDREW SURTEES FROM THE COPPER SUSTAINABILITY PARTNERSHIP ASKS WHY CHOOSE PLASTIC PIPES WHEN COPPER IS AVAILABLE?…
Prioritising people and planet: Why choose plastic pipes when copper is available?
T he world is waking up to the need to reduce its plastic use and, instead, adopt more sustainable materials. With 91% of all plastics produced in the world not being recycled, people and corporations are beginning to make changes to limit the plastics crisis. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same for the building and construction industry. Despite shocking figures and evidence of how harmful plastic is to people and the planet, we are still seeing a rise in the use of plastic building materials such as multilayer composite pipes. When a reliable, sustainable material like copper exists, it begs the question – why was a product like multilayer composite pipe ever invented? What is the need for a material that damages both the environment and our health, when copper is readily available and has been for centuries?
in performance or properties of the new pipes. As a result of this effective recycling process, around half of Europe’s copper demand is currently being met by recycled materials and, to date, at least 65% of all copper mined remains in circulation, available for use. As recycling techniques improve, this figure will only increase and the need to mine will continue to decline – which is good, because the recycling of copper uses 85% less energy than mining raw material. With this in mind, it really does make you wonder what role multilayer composite pipe plays in the industry. In choosing this environmentally damaging material, when we already have a practical, sustainable material in copper, we are only taking a huge step back when we should be progressing forwards. PUTTING SAFETY FIRST It’s a widely known fact that plastic has been proven to be a health hazard. A recent research project published in the Journal Environmental International by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands tested 22 anonymous blood samples from healthy adults for microplastic particles. The study found that 17 out of the 22 human blood samples
its composition and the complexity of its make-up, multilayer plastic pipe is virtually impossible to recycle as it’s very difficult to separate the metal from the plastic. Multilayer manufacturers pushing this kind of product as recyclable is simply an example of greenwashing: focusing on the benefits of plastic and greatly exaggerating its recyclability. In reality, research by CORDIS proves that these type of pipes are unrecyclable, stating that “conventional non-recyclable pipes for heating plumbing systems are manufactured from non-recyclable cross linked PEX. They are also made of PEX/ AL, which comprises a layer of aluminium sandwiched between two PEX layers.” What’s more, this CORDIS analysis also states that attempting to recycle these types of pipes “results in highly toxic by- products”. Copper, on the other hand, is an infinitely recyclable material. It has been recycled and re-used for as long as the material itself has been in use and there is a fully developed scrap-collecting infrastructure which has existed for centuries. When copper pipes come to the end of their life, they are taken to a scrap merchant and, unlike multilayer plastic pipes, are 100% recycled. What’s more, the recycling process doesn’t cause any loss
MULTILAYER MISCONCEPTIONS
Many construction professionals are led to believe that multilayer composite pipe is fully recyclable but, as it stands, there are no recycling frameworks in place, so its recyclability is nothing but theoretical. Due to the addition of aluminium tube in
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96 | PLUMBING & HEATING MAGAZINE
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