European PVC and chlor-alkali manufacturer Vynova has announced the premiere of the world’s first range of certified circular-attributed PVC resins.
Certified under the ISCC PLUS framework according to a mass balance approach, the new PVC resins are manufactured using circular ethylene from Sabic’s Trucircle portfolio, which is made using pyrolysis oil as feedstock. This feedstock is produced from mixed plastic waste streams via pyrolysis, a chemical recycling process in which plastic waste is heated without oxygen so that it breaks down into products that can be further processed into a chemical feedstock.
In this case, the feedstock is ethylene, which is then supplied to Vynova by Sabic from that company’s production facilities in Geleen, the Netherlands.
Replacing conventional fossil feedstock with pyrolysis cuts two ways, said the company: it contributes to a more sustainable management of difficult to recycle plastic waste streams and results in a CO2 emission reduction of 50% compared to incineration.
The circular-attributed PVC resins will be marketed under the VynoEcoSolutions brand, Vynova’s new portfolio of circular and renewable products, which currently also includes the company’s bio-attributed PVC range.
Using circular feedstock in the production of PVC is a ‘milestone’, said Jonathan Stewart, Vynova Vice President PVC Business Management; one that will help Vynova’s customers to achieve their sustainability goals, he added.
The circular-attributed PVC resins can be used in both rigid and flexible applications and cover an extensive range of K-values. They meet the same rigorous product quality, specifications and material performance as Vynova’s conventionally produced PVC grades. Converters will be able to process the new PVC resins with their existing equipment, under identical process conditions.
The new range of PVC resins will initially be manufactured at the Vynova sites in Beek, the Netherlands, and Mazingarbe, France.