Vinyl Sustainabilty Forum 2015
The European Vinyl Industries launched the third edition of the Vinyl Sustainability Forum on the 30th of April 2015 at the Majestic Barriere Hotel in Cannes, France. The forum's theme, “More Vinyl, Less Carbon”, reflected the industry's vision for the future.
Attendees had an intense one-day event with presentations and one-on-one discussions with stakeholders from academia, government bodies, the UN, the European Commission, retailers and all sectors of the PVC industry. The event was moderated once again by Paul Hohnen, an international expert on sustainable development and former strategy director of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
There were a number of keynote speeches. The UN explained their sustainability agenda for 2015, elaborating on the sustainable development goals (2015-2030) and the December Paris Climate Summit (COP21) held in Paris. A representative from ADEME (Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Energie) outlined plans for the Climate Summit in Paris in December (COP21). The European Commission – DG Growth elaborated upon the approach the new Commission would take towards issues of innovation, waste and the Circular Economy, and its consequent implications for EU climate policy. Finally, VinylPlus offered a progress report on developments and achievements and the shaping of next year’s programme. In respect to the climate, VinylPlus demonstrated that energy improvements in Vinyl manufacturing and increased recycling contributed to resource and energy savings.
Throughout the day, several interactive discussions such as “Protecting the Climate”, “Contribution of PVC Products” and "Reducing the Footprint, increasing the Handprint" saw key stakeholders from industry, retailers, recyclers and NGOs debate, deliberate, share and collectively help shape policies.
Take a look at the highlights from the VSF 2015.