Progress report for
Achievement at a glance
PVC waste recycling within the VinylPlus framework reached 739,525 tonnes in 2018, a 15.6% rise from the previous year. \r\nIn September 2018, VinylPlus backed the European Commission’s pledging call to increase recycling of plastics by committing to recycle at least 900,000 tonnes of PVC per year into new products by 2025 and a minimum of one million tonnes per year by 2030. \r\nCooperation with EU authorities continued to address the issue of legacy additives. \r\nThe ASF (Additives Sustainability Footprint, a methodology to evaluate the use of additives in PVC products developed by VinylPlus with the NGO the Natural Step) underwent a critical review by the University of Manchester, UK. \r\nVerification of ECVM members’ energy consumption data for 2015-2016 showed that the energy needed to produce one tonne of PVC decreased by an average of 9.5% compared to the baseline period 2007-2008. In the same period, CO2 emissions were reduced by 14.4% for the average PVC production, including VCM.\r\nThe VinylPlus® Product Label was validated for accreditation by Accredia, the Italian National Accreditation Body (NAB). An evaluation by the other 35 NABs members of the European Accreditation association has been initiated for a Europe-wide validation. Originally launched for window profiles, the Label is now open to any construction product meeting the definition of the EU Construction Product Regulation. To date, eight profile manufacturers have been awarded the label for 43 profile systems manufactured at 13 European sites.\r\nConcrete initiatives and action plans for workers’ safety and education and for the digitalization of SMEs were defined with the Social Partners of the European Chemical Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee (SSDC) in the framework of the Cooperation Agreement signed in 2017.\r\nFurther information on the 2018 activities can be found in the VinylPlus Progress Report 2019, independently audited and verified by third parties.
Challenges faced in implementation
The VinylPlus program is privately funded by the European PVC industry and requires significant financial commitment. The European PVC industry invested over 5.5 million Euro (6.15 million USD) in 2018, of which 3.3 million Euro (3.7 million USD) in waste management and technical projects. Since 2000, close to 110 million Euro (around 123 million USD) have been invested by the European PVC industry in its sustainability programs.\r\nRecycling is a crucial aspect of the VinylPlus program, especially in consideration of the development of EU policies affecting the plastics sector and the drive towards a circular economy. Regulatory constraints on legacy additives (substances that are no longer used in new PVC products but that can be present in recycled PVC), particularly lead and DEHP, are considered a major threat to the recycling of post-consumer waste by all the industry’s sector groups. Over the years, VinylPlus has contributed to discussions on legacy additives by supporting research and a considerable number of studies. Several substances were investigated from several angles, ranging from worker safety and emission potential to risk assessment models and socio-economic analysis. On the basis of these studies, VinylPlus remains convinced that the recycling of PVC waste from building and construction products offers a manageable and cost-effective way to keep legacy additives in their safest place, both for human health and for the environment. Recycling also represents the best option in terms of resource- and energy-efficiency.
Beneficiaries
Civil society\r\nEuropean PVC value chain\r\nWorkers and employees
Actions
The almost 740,000 tonnes of PVC recycled in 2018 saved 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 and contributed to the creation of around 1,500 direct jobs in recycling plants. Since 2000, 5 million tonnes of PVC waste were recycled in the framework of the European PVC industry’s Voluntary Commitments, saving 10 million tonnes of CO2.\r\nThe VinylPlus program is helping the European PVC value chain to develop more sustainable products and solutions and improve production processes (more sustainable use of additives, improved energy and resources efficiency, emission reduction). It is rising sustainability awareness and stimulating research and innovations among its partners (200 companies across Europe).\r\nFor the European PVC value chain’s workers and employees, concrete initiatives and action plans were defined with the Social Partners of the European Chemical SSDC in the areas of health&safety, education&training, knowledge transfer and sector evolution.\r\nVinylPlus continued to proactively share its approach, best practice and achievements, participating conferences and events at the European and global level. To expand the scope of its communications, eleven joint projects were implemented in 2018 with three European industry sector organizations and six national PVC associations.\r\nWith the theme Meeting Societal Needs, the 6th VinylPlus Sustainability Forum in Madrid, Spain, in May 2018, brought together more than 140 participants from 30 countries, representing the European Commission and Parliament, government bodies, UN organizations, NGOs, consumer organizations, academia, architects, recyclers and the PVC value chain. They explored how the vinyl sector and its products can provide concrete and sustainable solutions to help meet the wide-ranging challenges of providing essential services for a growing global population. VinylPlus also joined the UNFCCC’s Climate Neutral Now initiative in 2018, signing a pledge for the climate neutrality of its yearly event. Unavoidable emissions caused by holding the VSF2018 were compensated through the use of UN-certified offsets.
