Vinyl 2010 Voluntary Commitment

The European PVC Industry has made a Voluntary Commitment to the European Commission, to address the challenge of sustainable development. Under the umbrella of Vinyl 2010, the PVC Industry has pledged to ambitious targets for raw material manufacture and use of additives, as well as challenging commitments to recycle post-consumer PVC waste from windows, pipes, flooring and roofing products.    The British Plastics Federation is the national platform for implementation of the Voluntary Commitment in the UK.

Vinyl 2010 is the ten-year voluntary programme on Sustainable Development by the whole PVC industry.  We have a concrete focus as set out in the European PVC Industry's Voluntary Commitment - a series of targets, projects, initiatives and research studies primarily concerning environmental protection and resource management

In 2000, the European PVC industry started a 10-year plan to enhance sustainability of its product and production over the full lifecycle. This means relentlessly improving production processes and products, investing in technology, minimising emissions and waste and boosting collection and recycling. 

The programme is based on the ‘Voluntary Commitment' signed by Vinyl 2010's four member associations. After publication, the Commitment received a wide range of comments during extensive public and political consultations, including from the European Commission's Directorate General Environment and Directorate General Enterprise. These led, in 2001, to a revised and expanded document.

The main commitments are:

• Compliance with ECVM Charters on PVC production standards.
• A plan for full replacement of lead stabilisers by 2015, in addition to the replacement of cadmium stabilisers that was achieved in March 2001.
• The recycling by end 2010 of 200,000 tonnes/year of post-consumer PVC waste
• The recycling of 50% of the collectable available PVC waste for windows profiles, pipes, fittings and roofing membranes in 2005, and flooring in 2008.
• An R&D research and development programme on new recycling and recovery technologies, including feedstock recycling and solvent-based technology.
• The implementation of a social charter signed with the European Mine, Chemical and Energy Worker's Federation (EMCEF) to develop social dialogue, training, health, safety and environmental standards, including transfer to EU accession countries.

    
No long-term programme can rest static so the text provides for a mid-term revision of targets in 2005 and definition of new objectives in 2010 to take into account technical progress and EU enlargement, which took place in 2006. 

Please download the Comittments and associated Progress Reports here:

To find out more, click here to go to the Vinyl 2010 website

To find out more about the BPF Vinyls Group click here.