At Springfield Commercial Roofing, located near Traverse City, Michigan, we are determined to give our clients the best product for the best price. We consider the PVC membrane products we use as the best in the market; however, one may be better for one client and not another because of their building type and surrounding circumstances.
We found a great description of one of the products we use for our clients that was written by Scott Bieber, an Independent Sales Representative for Duro-Last® Roofing, Inc. This information is written about the PVC membrane that is one of the options we can use with our Springfield SmartRoof System. It really explains how it fits into the “going green” clause we all want to be related to.
“Believe it or not, many activists think we should go back to thatched roofs. Natural, of course, but safe? We would have an explosion in mold, bacteria, insects, rodents, etc. To prevent these problems, we’d have to use poisons or other chemicals and there would be another outcry. Let’s not even talk about fire safety.
Other natural products, those made from clay for example, actually are more environmentally damaging. That is, if you look at their impact during the mining process and the amount of energy (fossil fuels) required to bring such heavy products to market.
PVC is among the most recyclable materials in the marketplace. This is just one of the attributes that make it a “green” product. Duro-Last recycles virtually all of its own manufacturing waste. On job sites, it is safer for contractors to handle than other roofing materials. This includes those that require VOC adhesives, hot tar (which has a very high carbon content, by the way), etc. Unlike other systems, PVC roofs can be recycled at the end of their service lives and Duro-Last has a program in place to do just that.
Eliminating PVC products in hospitals would require other materials that are more prone to bacteria growth. That’s why PVC has been so widely used in blood bags and hospital mattresses – it’s easiest to keep clean.
A recent report by the US Green Building Council’s Technical and Scientific Advisory Committee (TSAC) found that PVC is as benign as other construction products, and in some cases is the best environmental option. A fair evaluation looks at the whole picture to determine if the net result of using the product is positive or negative.”
Please know that here at Springfield Commercial Roofing, we also mirror Duro-last in their recycling habits. We also install green roof systems and use many Energy Star® products.
