Rewindo: Recycling of old windows and other items has risen significantly

A pile of dismantled white window frames in front of a multi-story building

According to its own figures, the Rewindo system for recycling old windows achieved a 32.3 per cent increase in the volume of material recycled in 2025.
 
This marks the highest growth rate the system has achieved since its foundation in the summer of 2002, as Rewindo reports. According to the results report compiled by the consultancy firm Conversio and audited by ecocycle, around 58,400 tonnes of end-of-life PVC windows, roller shutters and related products were recycled as raw materials in 2025 (2024: 44,100 tonnes). In addition, 83,237 tonnes of production and processing waste were generated. According to the figures, the total recycling volume has thus risen from 131,000 tonnes in 2024 to 141,595 tonnes in 2025. “In this way, we have made a significant national contribution towards achieving the recycling targets of VinylPlus®, the voluntary commitment of the European PVC industry,” explains Managing Director Michael Vetter. The recycling of end-of-life windows for material recovery is very much in vogue, says Vetter. This is demonstrated by the 2025 recycling rate for recordable and available end-of-life windows, which stands at 94.5 per cent (2024: 87 per cent) – an increase of 7.5 percentage points. Vetter attributes these surprising growth rates, on the one hand, to an increase in energy-efficiency refurbishments and demolition projects. However, he emphasises that the steady expansion of the Rewindo network and the extensive recycling partnerships along the value chain for PVC windows have also been crucial. Furthermore, the organisation has succeeded in expanding the number of collection points for small or very small quantities of end-of-life PVC windows to over 100 nationwide. This ‘drop-off’ system, combined with the ‘collection’ system operated by recycling partners, had significantly increased the available volume of end-of-life windows. Rewindo also expects further growth in the coming years, albeit at a slower rate. Vetter attributes this to the continuing high demand for energy-efficiency refurbishment in the existing building stock and to statutory requirements, from which the PVC window industry would also benefit.
 
Sources:

Go back