PVC recycling through the framework of the European PVC industry's sustainable development program, VinylPlus, has reached just under 600,000 metric tons, according VinyPlus General Manager Brigitte Dero.
In a keynote speech at the PVC 2017 triennial event on April 25, in Brighton, England, Dero said the program had helped turn PVC from ‘the black sheep in the plastic family to a pioneer and a material of choice' in the past two decades.
“Having recycled nearly 600,000 tonnes of PVC last year, we have demonstrated through the VinylPlus Voluntary Commitment that we can divert from landfill significant volumes of PVC waste, thereby contributing to resource efficiency,” she added.
VinylPlus is the voluntary sustainable development program of the European PVC industry, which aims at creating a long-term sustainability framework for the entire PVC value chain.
A cumulative total of more than 3.5 million tonnes of PVC has been recycled since 2000, according to VinylPlus. The largest volumes are from window profiles, followed by cables and flexible applications, pipes and fittings.
The industry target is to recycle 800,000 tonnes per year by 2020.
Additionally, VinylPlus has recently developed an additives sustainability framework for assessing the sustainable use of additives in PVC products.
The first ASF, according to Dero, is almost complete for window profiles.