Day-to-day management of the PVC issues are managed by the BPF team and vital intelligence on the current state of regulation, political discussions including those in the UK Government and the European Commission, and swift responses to misinformation in the public domain, are all distributed to Vinyls Group sponsor companies.

In the past, PVC has been the subject of some controversy, fuelled by concerns from environmental NGOs and Green groups. This has made PVC and the Industry the focus of some attention in the public arena. The PVC Industry has been pro-active in its approach to Sustainable Development and has responded to these issues.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), is a major plastics material which finds widespread use in transport, packaging, electrical, healthcare and coated fabrics applications, such as wall paper. Countless applications which help to improve the quality of people's lives worldwide rely on PVC to offer a sustainable and cost-effective solution.    

Indeed, the number of socio-economic benefits of PVC products are colossal, ranging from packaging to floorcoverings and toys to window profiles. PVC is extensively used in water distribution and sewage management systems across the globe, a vital contribution to hygiene and civil society achieved at a sustainable cost. PVC products are also saving lives, in blood bags and surgical tubing, vital parts of modern everyday healthcare, and applications which thrive on PVC's unique technical properties.

PVC is typical in the kinds of world-enhancing solutions that all plastics are providing people with everyday. Whether it's a 100% recyclable resource-efficient sandwich-box lowering the burden of packaging waste, or whether it's non-kink surgical tubing saving someone's life, everywhere, everyday, PVC is meeting human needs.

Despite over 50 years of PVC solutions transforming civilised society and boosting developing countries, the material has been the subject of unfair criticism on the basis of an allegation that its environmental impact is problematic and that its characteristics represent a health and safety problem.

The campaign against PVC is embedded in an equally unjustified campaign against the commercial production of chlorine. As almost a third of all global chlorine production goes into the manufacture of PVC, the industry has become an obvious target for those seeking the sunsetting of industrial chlorine production. Chlorine, let us not forget, is an important materal in its own right - not only does it contribute to the production of PVC, but is used to produce a variety of other products. Did you know that 85% of medicines, including life saving drugs, are made using chlorine.

PVC, the environment and the Vinyl 2010 programme

The Vinyl 2010 Voluntary Commitment was signed on the 7th March 2000, which brought together the European PVC industry supply chain to speak with one, united voice, whilst also developing key relations with descision makers within Government. Full details of the Vinyl 2010 Programme can be found at www.vinyl2010.org, but some of the highlights include:

• Replacement lead stabilisers 100 % by 2015
• Stop using cadmium stabilisers in 2001 (completed)
• ECVM compliance charters for PVC production 
• Recycling 200.000 tons of post consumer PVC waste by 2010 (in addition to established recycling volumes at 2000 and excluding regulated waste streams)

     
Recycling is a key theme for both the European and UK PVC industry. Under Vinyl 2010, the Recovinyl scheme (www.recovinyl.com) was set-up to facilitate the increased need for recycling of post-consumer PVC recycling, across Europe. The UK has been one of the lead recyclers of the scheme since its inception and recycled a record 42,730 tonnes of PVC in 2008. This however excludes regulated waste streams. The BPF's Voluntary Committment Implementation Committee, under the Chairmanship of Dr. Jason Leadbitter of Ineos Chlor Vinyls, leads the UK's efforts as part of the Vinyl 2010 Agreement.

Vinyls Group Chairman:

Roger Mottram, INEOS ChlorVinyls                                                                                                                                                                        

For more information on the Vinyls Group, please contact Sarah Plant, Industrial Issues Executive:

Tel: 0207 457 5000 | Fax: 0207 457 5045 | click here to email