VinylPlus, the Voluntary Commitment to sustainable development of the European PVC industry, recycled 639,648 tonnes of PVC within its framework last year– almost 80% of the 2020 target. The 2017 results were presented at its 6th VinylPlus Sustainability Forum 2018 in Madrid, Spain where the industry shared its latest sustainability achievements, which included an announcement that starting from this year, the VinylPlus Sustainability Forum will henceforth be a carbon-neutral event.
Presenting the 2017 results, VinylPlus General Manager Brigitte Dero highlighted key achievements within the VinylPlus framework,
Recovinyl remained the main contributor, registering 633,127 tonnes of recycled PVC, with increased volumes recorded in France and Italy. Cumulatively, 4.2 million tonnes of PVC have been recycled since 2000.
Dero noted that with the adoption of the European Commission's ‘Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy', the role of recycling is becoming more significant. “Recycling will have a strong influence on the entire plastics value chain,” she stated.
Another major achievement in 2017 was the implementation for the window profile sector of the VinylPlus Product Label, a sustainability labelling scheme for PVC products established to help specifiers, consumers and procurement decision makers identify PVC products and solutions that better contribute to sustainable development.
Developed in cooperation with BRE Global (Building Research Establishment) and the Natural Step (TNS) and launched in March 2018, the Product Label focusses on PVC applications for the building and construction sector. Developed as part of the VinylPlus Voluntary Commitment, it aims to help specifiers, consumers and procurement decision makers to identify PVC products and solutions that better contribute to sustainable development.
Justin Zeulner, Executive Director of the Green Sports Alliance, gave a presentation on how the sports industry is seeking to address its environmental impacts, while Lars Meess-Olsohn addressed architectural applications for PVC in sports facilities and stadia.
Dr. Josef Ertl, VinylPlus Chairman then presented trophies to the first four PVC window profile manufacturers – Epwin Window Systems, Rehau, Schüco and Veka – being awarded the VinylPlus Product Label certification.