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In 2000, the European PVC industry entered into a voluntary commitment and has since worked closely together to make PVC more sustainable. This has significantly improved the environmental performance of the entire PVC production cycle. For example, nearly 800,000 tons of used PVC are recycled every year to make new products. By 2025, that should be 900,000 tons and by 2030 VinylPlus aims to recycle 1 million tons of PVC.
One of Shin-Etsu’s PVC grades is mainly used for window seals in the window profile industry. This allows the entire window profile to be made of PVC, which will make recycling a lot easier in due course.
The participants in VinylPlus take technical and organizational measures to prevent the release of chlorinated organic substances into the environment during the entire life cycle of PVC.
Shin-Etsu ensures that chlorine is recovered from residual gases and reuses it in the production process. In addition, the VCM plant is part of the Rotterdam chlorine cluster and uses chlorine-containing residual products from fellow companies in the region as a raw material for the production of VCM. Up to 30 percent of our VCM production is based on chlorine that is recycled in this way: an example of industrial ecology that fits perfectly into the circular economy.
The participants in VinylPlus are making efforts to reduce the use of additives. For example, no lead-based stabilizers have been used in the entire PVC industry since 2015.
PVC producers aim to reduce their energy consumption by 20 percent by 2020. In addition, there is an action plan to increase the use of sustainable raw materials within the PVC chain.
Shin-Etsu is a member of the multi-year energy efficiency covenant (MEE). We work constructively on energy reduction within our factories. Where possible, we replace equipment for more energy-efficient options.
Finally, VinylPlus is committed to an intensive dialogue with politicians, end users and the public to increase knowledge about the sustainability of PVC and to ensure that the VinylPlus program stays on track and delivers visible results.
The independent VinylPlus Monitoring Committee oversees the implementation of the voluntary efforts of the vinyl industry. The committee consists of representatives from the European Parliament, the European Commission, trade unions, retailers and consumer organizations. The progress of the objectives is reported annually.