In support of a European Commission's call for an increase in voluntary recycling of plastics, VinylPlus – the voluntary recycling programme for European PVC industry, has pledged to recycle at least 900 kilotonnes of PVC waste per year by 2025.
VinylPlus also announced 12 Sept that it was committing to recycling a minimum of 1 million tonnes per year by 2030.
“For nearly 20 years, VinylPlus has led the way to a circular economy by improving the sustainability performance of PVC. Because our programme brings together the entire value chain – PVC manufacturers, additives producers, converters and recyclers – we responded immediately to the Commission's call for voluntary pledges from the plastics industry,” explained Brigitte Dero, VinylPlus' general manager.
The VinylPlus programme has recycled 4.2 million tonnes of PVC in Europe since its establishment in 2000.
Last year, it processed nearly 640 kilotonnes of post-consumer and industrial PVC waste within its framework – almost 80% of the 2020 target.
PVC is made from salt and oil or natural gas and is one of the most widely used plastics in the world with a wide range of applications such as window frames, pipes, flooring, cables, packaging, sport equipment, furniture and medical devices.
The European Commission's Strategy for Plastics in Circular Economy, calls on industry associations “to come forward with voluntary pledges to boost the uptake of recycled plastics”.