PVC recycling in Europe
Voluntary Commitments
This initiative resulted in the publication of a series of studies focused on waste management, followed in July 2000 by a Green Paper on PVC COM(2000) 469. This led to the associations involved from the PVC industry (ECVM, the European Plastics Converters EuPC, the European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates ECPI and the European Stabilisers Producers Association ESPA) signing a “Voluntary Commitment of the PVC industry” covering the entire production chain of PVC products in March 2000. In October 2001, the initial commitment was updated and expanded, and called “Vinyl 2010 - The Voluntary Commitment of the PVC industry.”
The Voluntary Commitment aimed to enhance the sustainable use of PVC for each part of its life cycle, an essential part being the improvement of post-consumer PVC waste management. After its successful completion, Vinyl 2010 was replaced by its successor, VinylPlus®, in June 2011.
Overall waste management strategy for PVC
The European plastics industry is committed to making the most efficient use of natural resources, in its policy of 'resource efficiency'. This means balancing environmental concern about recycling PVC with the fact that eco-efficient recycling saves resources, thus profiting our society aims to balance environmental concern against the advantages of our industrial society and to set both in the context of economic feasibility.The strategy to promote resource efficiency was developed by PlasticsEurope, that represents the European plastics producing industry. It is known as the 'Integrated Approach' and covers all stages of plastics usage, from production to final disposal.
It encompasses the concepts of: