German company Rewindo GmbH Fenster-Recycling-Service reported the highest increase in PVC window recycling volumes in its history. In 2025, the recycling volume rose by 32.3% compared with the previous year. Rewindo has been operating in the market since summer 2002.
According to data from the Recovinyl RecoTrace database, the company recorded 58,358 tonnes of old PVC windows, roller shutters and similar products in the post-consumer segment. In 2024, the figure was 44,109 tonnes. Production and processing waste added a further 83,237 tonnes. The total recycling volume increased from 131,000 tonnes in 2024 to 141,595 tonnes in 2025.
Read also: Rewindo reports growth in recycling old PVC windows in Germany after stagnation
Rewindo also halved the share of old PVC windows sent for thermal recovery at waste incineration plants compared with 2024.
The recycling rate for old windows available for collection increased to 94.5% in 2025. In 2024, the figure stood at 87%, representing an increase of 7.5 percentage points. The 2025 recycling performance report was once again prepared by Conversio. The data were independently verified and audited by ecocycle.
According to Rewindo Managing Director Michael Vetter, keeping materials from old PVC windows in circulation conserves resources overall while also saving energy and reducing the carbon footprint. A study carried out by myclimate for Rewindo shows that one tonne of recycled material saves two tonnes of CO2 and 14,600 kWh of electricity. Applied to the 2025 figures, Rewindo and its partners saved 283,200 tonnes of CO2 and more than two million kWh of electrical energy. Manufacturers reused the recycled material as follows: 70% went into the production of new PVC window profiles, 20% into PVC pipe production and 10% into other profile applications.
Vetter attributed the unexpectedly high increase to several factors. Firstly, the number of energy-efficiency renovation and building demolition projects increased: due to the difficult situation in the new-build market, housing companies are focusing more attention on the existing housing stock. Secondly, the continuous expansion of Rewindo’s partner network and its extensive recycling partnerships throughout the entire PVC window value chain played an important role. The company also expanded its nationwide network of collection points for small and very small quantities of old PVC windows to more than 100 locations. Thanks to this self-delivery system, combined with collection services provided by partners, the volume of old windows available for recycling increased significantly.
For the coming years, Rewindo expects further moderate growth, without a repeat of the exceptionally high growth rates seen in 2025.
Rewindo is an association of leading German manufacturers of PVC window profiles within a joint industry initiative. Its members aim to increase the recycling of removed PVC windows, roller shutters and plastic doors and to promote resource-efficient management. The initiative was founded in 2002 by eleven leading German profile manufacturers, including Schüco, Rehau, Deceuninck Germany, aluplast, Gealan, profine, KBE Fenstersysteme, Kömmerling Kunststoffe, Salamander, Trocal and Veka. All shareholders of Rewindo GmbH are manufacturers of PVC window profiles. Partners along the PVC window value chain — manufacturers of windows, glass, hardware and machinery — support the initiative through sponsorship. The company’s recycling and logistics partner network comprises more than a dozen businesses across Germany, while the volume of recycled material recovered from removed windows, roller shutters and doors has more than tripled since the initiative was founded.
Ukraine does not have a systematic collection and recycling system for old PVC windows. There is no unified industry-wide coordination, mandatory quotas or network of collection points comparable to the German system.
However, the problem is growing. The war has generated an enormous volume of construction waste, a significant share of which consists of removed or destroyed plastic windows. As of September 2025, around 17.2 million tonnes of waste from damaged and destroyed residential buildings had been generated in territories controlled by the Government of Ukraine, and around 11.7 million tonnes of this waste still required clearance, sorting and subsequent recycling. According to a UNDP study, with proper organisation of the process, up to 70% of such waste — around 8.2 million tonnes — could be recycled and reused for reconstruction needs.