Window industry of the EU moves towards a 9R circular economy model

Nov 24, 2025

At the 52nd Rosenheim Window and Facade Conference, experts stated that the transition to a circular economy will become one of the key requirements for all window and façade manufacturers in the EU. The 9R model, which describes nine levels of resource-efficient use, will become a mandatory norm and will define product competitiveness on the European market.

The 9R model covers the entire product life cycle – from design to disposal. It encourages companies to create constructions that last longer and are easy to repair, upgrade, dismantle and recycle. The approach is based on nine principles of efficient resource use:
— R0 — Refuse. Companies eliminate materials and components that complicate repair or recycling, such as incompatible plastics, decorative elements and bonded joints that cannot be dismantled.
— R1 — Rethink. Manufacturers rethink window design by adding integrated ventilation and ensuring the possibility of disassembly.
— R2 — Reduce. Optimisation of materials and energy consumption during production.
— R3 — Reuse. Hardware, complete units or profile offcuts are reused without reprocessing.
— R4 — Repair. Products are designed so that repair is simple and accessible.
— R5 — Refurbish. Windows can be modernised without full replacement – installing an energy-efficient glazing unit, different hardware or restoring a wooden frame.
— R6 — Remanufacture. Products undergo deep renewal that brings them back to an “as new” condition.
— R7 — Repurpose. Components gain a new function, for example profiles become installation elements, and old glazing units serve as enclosure parts in technical structures.
— R8 — Recycle. PVC is recycled into granulate, aluminium is remelted, and glass is used as technical raw material or for new glass production.
— R9 — Recover. Materials are incinerated for energy recovery when other options are not possible.

Representatives of ift Rosenheim emphasised that European regulations will support manufacturers who create durable and repairable constructions. Companies relying on short usage cycles will gradually lose the possibility to operate on the market. Avoiding materials that are difficult to separate or recycle, and designing easily dismantled constructions, becomes especially important.

According to ift Rosenheim, manufacturers implementing the 9R principles in the design of windows, doors and façades gain advantages in green financing and state energy-efficiency support programmes.

Experts highlighted that current changes create new opportunities for the industry. Companies focusing on recyclable constructions, repairability and resource efficiency are strengthening their market positions. European sustainability requirements are rapidly becoming the norm, and the nine “R”s are forming a new standard of competition in window production.

Author

Olena Serdiuk OKNA.ua

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OKNA.ua

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