Global Recycling Day is on 18 March. The worldwide day of action of the Brussels-based Global Recycling Foundation has been calling for a more conscious approach to waste and more recycling since 2018. The European PVC industry has been focusing on recycling as a central component of a functioning circular economy for many years.
The long-term sustainability framework for the entire value chain is VinylPlus®the voluntary commitment of the European PVC industry. With the VinylPlus 2030 sustainability programme and new ambitious goals for this decade, the industry is consistently continuing the path it began in 2000 with the first programme and has already achieved a great deal, not least in recycling. During this period, around 7.3 million tonnes of recycled PVC were processed into new products in Europe, saving around 14.5 million tonnes of CO2-emissions could be saved.
Developments and achievements are documented in an annual independently audited progress report, which will be published this year in May at the next European VinylPlus® Sustainability Forum in Florence. The quantities produced and used for recycling in Europe are monitored by the data collection system RecoTrace, which is in line with the principles of the EU Circular Plastics Alliance (CPA).TM.
Material flow diagram for PVC in Germany
Thanks to the recycling activities already introduced in the 1990s, the progress in Germany is also clear. In 2021, for example, around 340,000 tonnes of PVC recyclates were processed into semi-finished and end products. This is shown by the current material flow diagram for PVC. This means that almost 18 percent of the PVC processed is now obtained from recycling. Recyclates are therefore already an important raw material base that significantly reduces the use of fossil raw materials. Recyclates from mechanical recycling are mainly used where they are also obtained: in durable building products such as windows, other building profiles, pipes or floor coverings.
Actively promote recycling through a wide range of services
Interested parties can find concrete service offers on the topic of PVC recycling on the websites of VinylPlus Germany. The online platform "PVC Recycling Finder"with more than 60 listed companies in Germany, both in the search for recyclates and for the acceptance of PVC waste materials. Further information on this topic can be found on the homepage of VinylPlus Germany at the address www.vinylplus.de ready. With the successful event series "PVC recyclers meet PVC processors"VinylPlus Germany, together with AgPR, Rewindo and IVK Europe, offers a platform for direct exchange for experts to actively promote recycling. The meetings take place on site at companies that practice recycling. The proven nationwide recycling solutions for PVC building products are also presented at events by the "PVC recycling action"in front of you. In cooperation with VinylPlus® AgPR, Rewindo, KRV, IVK Europe and VinylPlus Deutschland are joining forces to further promote PVC recycling in Germany.