VinylPlus supports roadmap for plastics in a circular economy

Brussels-based VinylPlus says it has welcomed the roadmap Strategy on Plastics in a Circular Economy, published 26 January 2017 by the European Commission. The group says the roadmap should allow for a “good strategy” that “will allow for more investment and innovation to reach a truly circular economy.”

VinylPlus is the voluntary sustainable development programme of the European PVC industry.

In its roadmap, the commission emphasises the need to improve cooperation across the entire plastics value chain and with all stakeholders to support the circular economy and to allow for innovation, an approach VinylPlus says it encourages. “The VinylPlus programme itself is built on this same partnership model, which has been successful in establishing an extensive Europewide network and recycling more than 3 million tonnes of PVC since 2000,” the organisation says in a news release.  

The commission’s roadmap also stresses the need for quality recycled plastics as well as a clear approach to deal with legacy substances in those materials. Recycling of plastic scrap is particularly challenging because of the diversity of plastics and additives, VinylPlus says. “This is why the European PVC industry encourages traceability requirements to track components of the materials being recycled. It ensures the safest and best quality recycling with appropriate handling precautions and information to downstream users,” says Brigitte Dero, general manager of VinylPlus and the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers (ECVM).

VinylPlus says it calls for the use of certification schemes to ensure the quality and safety of recycled materials and processes. This would stimulate demand for secondary raw materials while preserving a high level of environment and health protection and would help to avoid unnecessary disposal and the loss of valuable materials like PVC from a circular economy, the organisation adds.

Finally, VinylPus says it is glad that the commission wants its plastics strategy to reduce greenhouse gases associated with plastics’ life cycles. VinylPlus is advocating for the integration of a low-carbon rationale at all stages of the life cycle and a focus on responsible sourcing of raw materials with a low carbon footprint.

“The Plastics Strategy is a significant opportunity for European leaders to confirm and reinforce more than 15 years of work from the industry to develop an effective scheme for PVC recycling,” Dero says. “It is also an immediate opportunity to stimulate jobs, innovation and investment, notably in the recycling sector.”