There was no way around the foundation of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft PVC und Umwelt e.V. (AGPU) 30 years ago. This has not changed to this day, even if the times when the material and products made of PVC were particularly criticised are now a thing of the past. Thanks to the long-standing commitment of AGPU member companies from the entire PVC value chain to the sustainable development of PVC and an open dialogue with stakeholders from all sectors, AGPU and its partners have succeeded in establishing the plastic as an innovative, sustainable and forward-looking material. The fact that modern PVC products are true high-tech wonders today is benefiting more and more people in their daily lives thanks to their diversity and performance.
At the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the AGPU, the two guest speakers were also convinced of the future viability of PVC as a material. For NRW Economics Minister Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, innovative products and manufacturing processes are one of the keys to the future. "We in North Rhine-Westphalia stand for a modern and environmentally friendly industry and create the right framework conditions for sustainable investments," the Minister emphasised in his speech. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Bastian, Institute Director of the SKZ, was also enthusiastic: "The opportunities for PVC continue to be great due to these diverse properties, the material is sustainable and can be individually adapted to different requirements".
"The focus of the AGPU has been sharpened again and again over the last 30 years and is now very clearly on the topic of the sustainability of the material," says Dr Oliver Mieden, newly elected Chairman of the AGPU and Head of Environmental Affairs & Corporate Communications at PVC manufacturer Vinnolit. "Since 2017, the AGPU has been an associate member of VinylPlus®, the sustainability programme of the European PVC industry, and thus contributes to making the contents and goals of the voluntary commitment even better known in Germany."