Sustainable Window and Door Products we Love

Although Z Double B is located in Lakewood, Colorado, a Denver Metro city, we source our products from all over the US in order to get the best of best in both quality and sustainability. 3 of our top products are Milgard, Cascade and Panda. We strive to be as environmentally friendly as possible, as 75% of the worlds waste comes from the construction industry and we would like to see that number drop.

Milgard

The first step is recycling. Recycling post-consumer and pre-consumer content. At Miglard, 97% of vinyl manufacturing scrap goes in a clean waste stream that is recycled for future window frames. The remaining 3% is recycled into other products such as garden hoses. Milgard vinyl windows average 15%-10% manufacturer recycled content.

The next step is minimizing waste. Milgard fiberglass pultrusion process facility has earned ISO 14001 certification, a standard that manages and improves performance in areas such as lower energy usage, waste reduction and increased recycling. Milgard glass waste has decreased to nearly 1/3 of the amount created in 2004.

Reducing carbon emissions and fuel is also important. Most Milgard customers are within 300 miles of the manufacturing and service locations. They have locations throughout the Western U.S. to service our consumers more quickly and reduce the carbon footprint by saving on fuel costs.

Green Building Partners with Milgard which is a great accomplishment on their part and makes us a proud advocate. The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating System is an important certification for recognizing builders for environmental and public health excellence. While building components themselves are not individually certified, they can contribute to the points awarded to a project as a whole.

Eco Homes are also in the works. Tuscany Series Vinyl windows and Ultra Series Fiberglass patio doors were installed in the sustainable eco-home. The builders sourced sustainable and recycled materials for a minimal environmental impact and is a certified Department of Energy Challenge Home, Energy Star Home and Green Built Texas Home.

Cascade

Cascade believes in building a better tomorrow by reducing their carbon footprint by recycling 100% of it’s production materials and increasing efficiencies. Here are some practices Cascade follows, stated right on their company website.

Glass is shipped directly to a local glass facility to be repurposed. Over a ton of natural resources are saved for every ton of glass recycled. Energy costs drop about 2-3% for every 10% cullet (term for recycled broken or waste glass used in glass making) used in the manufacturing process. One ton of carbon dioxide is reduced for every six tons of recycled container glass used in the manufacturing process.

Paper recycling not only saves energy but also saves trees, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere. The EPA estimates that producing a recycled paper product requires only 60 percent of the energy required to create one from fresh wood pulp.

Vinyl recycling involves sending the material to a processing facility. The Vinyl can then either be ground up such that it can be melted and formed into new products, or dissolved into its basic elements and reconstituted as Vinyl or other materials. Vinyl can be recycled many times.

Aluminum can be recycled repeatedly. The aluminum is melted down in the secondary production process.

Aluminum saves 95% of the energy required to make the same amount of aluminum from its virgin source. One ton of recycled aluminum saves 14,000 kilowatt hours (Kwh) of energy, 40 barrels of oil, 130. 152.32 million BTU's of energy, and 10 cubic yards of landfill space.

Wood Pallets have an average life cycle of around three years, but this accounts for a number of things. After a pallet is gone through its life cycle its ground down and is recycled in fiber products for future use.

Brochures from cascade use Soy Based Inks. Soybean oil comes from a renewable source: soybeans. Soybean oil's clarity allows pigments to reach their full potential, resulting in deep, rich bright colors... As a result, more materials can be printed with less ink and thereby reducing their costs.

Panda

Panda windows and doors uses recycled aluminum, and 100% recyclable and sustainable metal. Nearly 75% of all aluminum ever produces is still in use and recycling the meal saves more than 90% of the energy it would take to make new aluminum. When pairing the aluminum frames with the energy saving thermally broken systems, you have a very low carbon footprint product.

Our mission

We want to do the best we can to make the world a better place by giving a good name to construction. Nothing is a fast change but we strive to do our part in the world by not destroying it. If you need new windows or doors please consider a sustainable option even if it isn't one of the above brands. Stay tuned for sustainable siding options next!

Need to inquire about a project? We are here to help! We have energy calculators so we can fit your project needs and keep your energy bills down and helping the planet at the same time. Call or email us today at 303-997-8168 info@zdoubleb.com or visit our website at zdoubleb.com.