The topics of sustainability and circular economy are more important today than ever before. Thus, in the procurement of resources and manufacturing of products, industry is increasingly concerned with questions and expectations regarding social, economic and ecological conditions and impacts. The question of how products are dealt with at the end of their life cycle plays a central role in the sustainable development of products.
VinylPlus® sustainability programme
VinylPlus®, the Sustainability programme of the European PVC industryThe VinylPlus® Progress Report has been running for 20 years and can now look back on a whole series of successes and measures. The latest VinylPlus® Progress Report was presented at the beginning of June 2020. According to this report, a total of 771,313 tonnes of PVC were recycled through the programme in 2019, which were then reused to manufacture new products.
The PVC industry is thus already well on its way to achieving the ambitious goals of the next few years - and doing so within the framework of a functioning circular economy, in accordance with the goals of the Circular Plastics Alliance and the European targets for promoting the recovery, recycling and reuse of plastics. VinylPlus® responded early to the EU Commission's call to the plastics industry to recycle more and has committed to at least 900,000 tonnes of PVC recyclate per year by 2025.
Recycling high-quality PVC is in the best interest of a sustainable society. This has also been confirmed by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). According to the agency, recycling end-of-life PVC products is the best waste management option from both an environmental and a health perspective.
Global Recycling Day 2021
On the occasion of Global Recycling Day 2021, the Global Recycling Foundation's worldwide day of action based in Brussels, a joint webinar of PlasticsEurope Germany and VinylPlus Germany will take place today. The agenda includes presentations and discussions on plastic-related waste streams or on the EU joint project Circular Flooring, which is about an innovative process for recycling PVC flooring.
Wide range of services
On the website of VinylPlus Germany, interested parties can find concrete service offers on the topic of PVC recycling. The online platform PVC-Recycling-Finder with over 60 listed companies in Germany provides concrete support both in the search for recyclates and for the acceptance of PVC waste materials. A good overview of recycling solutions for PVC building products is provided by the joint website of Aktion PVC-Recycling. The homepage of VinylPlus Germany also provides information at the address www.vinylplus.de for further information.