Dortek and the Environment
Dortek understands the serious challenges facing our eco-system, is therefore committed to reducing the impact of its business operations, products and services on the environment. Our contribution to meeting these challenges is to design, develop and supply new systems and solutions in an environmentally responsible manner.
Dortek has set ambitious targets for reducing its effect on the environment in its business operations and through the lifecycle performance of its products.
- Divert 90% of our operational waste from landfill by 2014
- Recycle 80% of all factory waste by year end 2013
- We aim to be consistently the lowest life cycle cost door product systems available anywhere in the world.
Through its employees, Dortek instils an environmental awareness and responsibility that is reflected in the concept, design, development and production of all its products and services.
Dortek’s Product Ranges and Choosing Lowest Life Cycle Costs
Dortek’s GRP door range is made from glass fibre reinforced polyester, which is an extremely safe, strong, inert material processed in our factories. Our production is a low-energy manufacture.
We at Dortek believe in manufacturing products that last longer than competing steel, plastic and timber products and we firmly believe that this is the best contribution we can make to environmental sustainability. A product which lasts 15 years and requires little servicing and maintenance has a much lower carbon footprint than a product which lasts 3 to 5 years.
GRP (FRP) is commonly recycled into a range of products used in construction, transport and the marine industries. Common uses for reground GRP include fencing posts, railroad ties, bumpers etc. The glass fibre can also be extracted from GRP to be remoulded into fresh GRP which has often been found to be lighter and even stronger than virgin materials. This method is used successfully to make boats, bathtubs, shower trays, swimming pools etc.
All Dortek products also contain stainless steel and other components made from aluminium and plastics. These can be easily recycled at dedicated recycling facilities.
A decision on the right door for an application will need to take into account:
- Lifetime of the product – how long will it last.
- Maintenance requirements of the product (monetary and environmental)
- Operating Characteristics of the product (monetary and environmental)
- Overall efficiency and effectiveness of the product
There will usually be trade-offs between the cost of the product and it’s hygienic performance, it’s strength or it’s thermal performance. Likewise a door which is easy to recycle, but does not last long, is not the most environmentally friendly option when measured over 20 years.