VinylPlus is the Voluntary Commitment to sustainable development by the European PVC industry. The VinylPlus programme was developed through open dialogue with stakeholders, including industry, NGOs, regulators, civil society representatives and PVC users. The regional scope is the EU-28 plus Norway and Switzerland. www.vinylplus.eu
A smart material
PVC is one of the most widely used polymers in the world. It is used in a broad range of industrial, technical and everyday applications. PVC is intrinsically a ‘low carbon’ plastic: 57% of its molecular weight is chlorine derived from common salt; 5% is hydrogen; and 38% is carbon. It consumes less primary energy in the manufacturing phase than any other commonly used plastics. Due to its relatively light weight, durability and stability, PVC can offer energy, cost and material efficiency gains for sectors such as building and construction, water distribution, health and transportation. PVC is recyclable and is increasingly being recycled.
This Report summarises VinylPlus’ progress and achievements in 2020 in each of the five key sustainability challenges identified for PVC in the Voluntary Commitment of the European PVC industry on the basis of The Natural Step (TNS) System Conditions for a Sustainable Society. All the information reported has been independently audited and verified by third parties. A full glossary of abbreviations appears at the end of the Progress Report.
