VinylPlus Sustainability Forum 2019
The VinylPlus Sustainability Forum (VSF) is VinylPlus' annual event that aims to engage in open and constructive dialogue on topics concerning the PVC industry in the context of sustainability and the circular economy, and doing so with a wide range of industry and external stakeholders.
In Prague, on the 9th and 10th May 2019, the VSF2019: Accelerating Innovation took place. The 2 day event centred around speeches, open and interactive debate and quality panel discussions, and hosted a number of industry and market experts as well as distinguished speakers from the European Commission and Parliament, the United Nations, academia and NGOs, to name but a few.
Take a look at the highlights:
Highlights from the VinylPlus Sustainability Forum 2019 from VinylPlus on Vimeo.
Background
The sustainable growth of society as a whole is only possible through the balancing of the three pillars of sustainability; economic, social and environmental. In this context, innovation is key.
As countless new technologies have developed in the past decades, new methods and tools are accelerating innovation throughout all industries, encouraging sustainable development.
The PVC industry’s journey towards sustainable development already began nearly 20 years ago. Today, as innovative technologies continue to develop, we ask ourselves: how is innovation supporting the PVC industry's targets in the context of the circular economy? What challenges and opportunities are today's innovative technologies providing the PVC industry? How are they Accelerating Innovation towards sustainable development throughout the industry?
Through a focus on each sustainability pillar, the speakers and discussions of the VSF2019 explored pressing questions concerning the PVC industry and sustainability;
- Following the growth in the use of recyclates, what is the right market balance for the use of virgin and recycled PVC? What is the competitiveness of PVC products over their whole life cycle? How is the building and construction sector adapting to digital times?
- The shift towards social sustainability demands increased innovative approaches in education and the development of new skills. Is Europe - and the world - ready and capable of this task? How can we efficiently develop technologies and digital solutions that we can trust and use correctly?
- Innovative tools and methods supported by digitalization are helping companies sustainably develop their long-term business strategies, for example by assessing their environmental footprints. How are innovations like these impacting and changing the PVC industry?
