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VinylPlus, the voluntary sustainable development program of the European polyvinyl chloride (PVC) industry, has released its latest report, which says nearly 600,000 metric tons of PVC were recycled in 2016 through the program.
According to VinynPlus, self-regulation drives business toward setting and reaching concrete sustainability targets. The European Commission also is looking into the potential of voluntary agreements as a way to ensure an efficient transition to the circular economy.
VinylPlus’ new audited Progress Report shows the voluntary program is achieving results, with nearly 600,000 metric tons of PVC recycled in 2016. Since the start of VinylPlus in 2000, more than 3.6 million metric tons of PVC have been recycled, reducing the amount of waste going to landfill, saving resources and creating jobs.
“VinylPlus is one of the industry voluntary commitments in Europe that truly works and delivers success,” says VinylPlus General Manager Brigitte Dero. “The program is progressing towards its target to recycle 800,000 [metric tons] per year by 2020. Our voluntary commitment to sustainability and the circular economy pushes us to reach such ambitious recycling targets.”
VinylPlus says its keys to success include measurable targets and deadlines, concrete results, independent verification, involvement of the entire value chain and transparent communication. These are the vital elements VinylPlus was built on and form the basis on which VinylPlus is registered as a SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) partnership on the UN Partnerships for SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) platform, the organization says.
“I’m happy to see that in its Progress Report 2017 VinylPlus is reporting its contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” says Christophe Yvetot, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) representative to the European Union. “I’d like to congratulate VinylPlus; we know how difficult it is to bring a whole value chain together to achieve more sustainability. VinylPlus shows that industry can change, industry can contribute. VinylPlus is a good role model, and we are ready to work even more closely with them.”