Vinyl: Building a Sustainable Future on Three Pillars

At VinylPlus, we are committed to driving the sustainable development of the European PVC industry. Our mission aligns with the three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic. These pillars form the foundation of our efforts to create a more sustainable future. Understanding these pillars is essential to appreciate the positive impact of PVC, or vinyl, on sustainability.

Discover the Three Pillars of Sustainability

This pillar emphasises the importance of social equity, community well-being, and human rights. It aims to improve the quality of life for all individuals by promoting fair practices, access to essential services, and community development.

This pillar focuses on minimising the negative impact of human activities on the environment. It involves the responsible use of resources, reducing pollution, and preserving natural ecosystems for future generations.

This pillar ensures that economic activities are conducted in a way that supports long-term economic growth without compromising environmental and social sustainability. It includes efficient resource use, innovation, and creating economic opportunities.

Vinyl’s Contribution to the Social Pillar

Vinyl or PVC’s contribution to social sustainability is multifaceted, impacting various aspects of human well-being:

Affordable Housing

PVC or vinyl is a cost-effective material extensively used in construction for windows, doors, facades, cables, gutters, pipes, flooring, and much more. Vinyl plays a key role in the development of affordable housing and the renovation of existing housing stock. It facilitates the construction of comfortable homes accessible to people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Furthermore, PVC’s long lifespan and minimal maintenance requirements substantially reduce ongoing costs for both building owners and tenants.

Affordable Healthcare

PVC or vinyl is essential in the healthcare sector, utilised in a broad range of applications including medical devices such as tubing and medical bags, cables for diagnostic equipment, and building materials like flooring and windows, among others. Crucially, PVC is the only material capable of storing red blood cells for up to 49 days, an essential feature for treating individuals with rare blood types, who frequently belong to minority groups. Additionally, PVC medical products are often 30% more affordable than alternatives, making healthcare more accessible and reducing overall medical costs.

Food Supply

PVC, or vinyl, plays a crucial role in supporting Europe’s food supply, contributing to social well-being by ensuring affordable and safe food production. In agriculture, PVC is used in farm buildings, waste management systems, biogas production, farm machinery, water hoses, irrigation pipes, and more, providing essential durability and efficiency. PVC cling film, preferred by food professionals, helps reduce food waste by extending the shelf life of fresh produce, meats, and other perishables, thereby supporting efficient food management.

Vinyl conveyor belts and food-grade PVC hoses are pivotal in food processing, ensuring hygienic and efficient food transport from farms to consumers.

Culture and Leisure

Vinyl, or PVC, plays a crucial role in culture and leisure, particularly in music festivals, where it is used for durable, reusable tents and temporary structures that provide weather resistance and easy assembly. In the music industry, PVC is essential for instrument, speaker, and power cables, as well as for iconic vinyl records, cherished for their classic sound quality and nostalgia. Vinyl also protects amplifiers with weather-resistant coverings, adding both durability and style. Additionally, PVC enhances cinema screens for better visuals and serves as a canvas for artworks, demonstrating its versatility across cultural and creative experiences.

Education

PVC, or vinyl, plays a vital role in education, supporting diverse learning needs from STEM to creative subjects. It is crucial for robotics kits, computer components, and power cables, ensuring reliable functionality and safe electricity flow in classrooms. PVC also contributes to traditional learning environments with durable stationery like binders and book covers, while its versatility enhances creative activities, such as crafting and model-making. Additionally, vinyl flooring provides a safe, resilient, and easy-to-clean surface. These varied applications make PVC essential for fostering a well-equipped, interactive educational setting.

Job Creation

The European vinyl industry directly supports nearly 180,000 jobs along its value chain, encompassing production, use, and recycling. This significant employment contribution promotes economic stability and enhances the livelihoods of countless individuals and families. Indirectly, the diverse applications of vinyl in sectors such as construction, healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and food production help sustain many additional jobs.

Crisis Management

PVC/vinyl is pivotal in enhancing social sustainability through crisis management efforts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, vinyl was instrumental in the rapid construction of temporary hospitals, testing centers, and vaccination facilities. Furthermore, the vinyl industry significantly contributed to providing personal protective equipment, such as gloves, face shields and gowns, supporting frontline workers in combating the virus. PVC’s role extended into vital medical devices such as oxygen masks and ECMO tubing. In natural disaster scenarios, vinyl materials are crucial for quickly erecting shelters for displaced victims, and during floods, PVC provides effective mobile flood management solutions.

Image courtesy of the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers.

Sports and Recreation

PVC or vinyl’s versatility and durability make it the ideal material for sports and recreational activities. It is used in various applications such as flooring, soft landing mattresses for high jumpers, swimming pool membranes, and bike parts, enhancing both safety and performance. Additionally, vinyl is found in trampoline safety mats, bouncy castles, padel court membranes, boxing equipment, sports balls, football cones, paddleboards, kayaks, and fishing waders, ensuring that these activities are safe and enjoyable. This promotes physical activity and community engagement. Moreover, durable and customisable PVC or vinyl is even used to display names and numbers on sports jerseys, adding to its wide range of uses.

Community Engagement

At VinylPlus, we engage with communities to promote sustainability practices and awareness. Our initiatives include educational programs, partnerships with local organizations, and support for community projects that enhance social well-being.

Case

Sponsorship of a Girls' Hockey Team

In 2023, VinylPlus partnered with the Parc Hockey Club of Brussels, a leading team in Belgian field and indoor hockey. Beyond supporting the team, this collaboration allows VinylPlus to showcase the versatility of PVC in sports—from clothing and equipment to facilities. PVC’s durability and practicality make it ideal for various sporting applications. VinylPlus also provides reusable and recyclable information banners displayed during competitions.

Case

Belgium Yoga Day

On the occasion of the International Day of Yoga 2023, VinylPlus renewed its traditional partnership with the Belgian Yoga Day. VinylPlus took part in a yoga session in Brussels for young students of the IRSA (Institut Royal pour Sourds et Aveugles, Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children), as well as teachers, staff, children’s families and friends of the IRSA. The VinylPlus PVC yoga mats utilised for the event were then donated to the children to allow them to continue yoga lessons. The PVC mats had already been used at the 2021 Yoga Day. Thanks to the material’s durability and flexibility, they can be reused several times.

Case

She Runs

VinylPlus partnered with the ISF She Runs – Active Girls’ Lead event in 2019 and 2022, promoting PVC’s sustainable use in sports while empowering young women through health, leadership, and education. In both editions, PVC was used extensively for durable sports gear, flooring, and event structures, emphasising reuse and recyclability. A key outcome from 2019 was the co-signed Environmental Action commitment and a report presented in Brussels, highlighting PVC’s role to make sporting events more sustainable.

Case

Garden to Connect

Garden to Connect is an initiative focused on making urban spaces greener and fostering connections between people and nature. By reusing discarded PVC building materials, it creates cost-effective urban gardens, avoiding resource-intensive plant containers like steel or concrete. This approach reduces waste and makes urban gardening more accessible, supporting a sustainable and community-focused green space.

Case

European Week of Sport

In 2019, VinylPlus participated in the European Week of Sport, collaborating with Schuman Square for the campaign “Sport for All, No Borders No Limits” at Brussels’ Schuman roundabout. The event showcased the sustainable use of PVC in sports, including its reuse and recyclability. Activities included yoga, martial arts, Scottish highland games, and chess. VinylPlus provided yoga mats, later donated to local hospitals for rehabilitation, and high-performance PVC flooring containing 32% recycled PVC, which will be reused in future events, demonstrating PVC’s role in supporting accessible, sustainable sports infrastructure.

Vinyl’s Contribution to the Environmental Pillar

Polyvinyl chloride, known as PVC or vinyl, plays a significant role in enhancing environmental sustainability through:

Resource Efficiency

PVC, with its high chlorine content of 57% from common salt, depends less on fossil resources than other plastics, which again results in a lower carbon footprint. Bio-attributed and bio-circular PVC resin and non-fossil additives and compounds (mass balance) are increasingly available. Additionally, technological advancements have consistently enhanced the efficiency of PVC production, further reducing its environmental impact.

Energy Efficiency

Vinyl or PVC products significantly enhance energy efficiency in buildings. PVC windows and doors offer excellent thermal insulation, reducing energy consumption for both heating and cooling, which in turn lowers greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, vinyl roofing membranes play a crucial role in mitigating the urban heat island effect and are highly effective for integrating solar panels, potentially making buildings energy-positive.

Green Energy

PVC, or vinyl, plays a crucial role in various green energy applications. It is widely used in wind turbine blades, where PVC foam enhances efficiency due to its excellent strength-to-weight ratio. In biogas production, PVC pipes and covers ensure safe and secure handling of volatile gases, preventing leaks and allowing efficient storage and transportation.

In offshore energy projects, PVC profiles provide insulation and protection for submarine cables, umbilicals, and power cables, ensuring reliable energy transmission. Additionally, PVC pipes are proving to be ideal for the safe distribution of hydrogen, supporting the infrastructure needed for the hydrogen economy.

Protecting the Natural Environment

PVC or vinyl products are crucial for water management and pollution control. PVC pipes safely transport sewage effluents, thus protecting soil and groundwater. PVC spill booms efficiently contain marine spills. Due to its high stability and corrosion resistance, the release of unwanted substances into drinking water from PVC pipes, and into rainwater from PVC rain gutters and roofing membranes, is negligible.

Circular Economy

PVC or vinyl has the longest recycling track record among plastics and an above-average recycling rate around 30%. Rigid and flexible PVC can be recycled mechanically several times. Since 2000, more than 8,800,000 tonnes of PVC have been safely recycled and used in new products through VinylPlus. This not only reduces the demand for virgin materials but also supports green jobs in the European plastics recycling industry.

Looking forward, VinylPlus aims to recycle 900,000 tonnes annually in 2025 and 1 million tonnes in 2030. To achieve these targets, the PVC industry is investing in the development of a broad range of sorting and recycling technologies, including physical and chemical recycling.

Sustainable Use of Additives

VinylPlus is committed to the sustainable use of additives in vinyl production. Over the past two decades, industry innovations have driven the substitution of hazardous substances like lead and SVHC phthalates with safer alternatives. Additionally, the Additive Sustainability Footprint® methodology has been developed to proactively assess and enhance the sustainable production and use of PVC additives across their entire life cycles, focusing on the crucial role these additives play in the performance of PVC products.

Greener Transportation

PVC or vinyl, is extensively used in the production of components for trains, trams, buses, and bicycles, as well as bike lane separators, enhancing both durability and performance. In addition, vinyl plays a crucial role in EV charging infrastructure and the development of lightweight parts for cars and trucks, contributing to improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

Vinyl’s Contribution to the Economic Pillar

Vinyl or PVC is integral to economic sustainability through its role in various industries and economic activities:

Enhancing Europe's Economic Growth

The European vinyl industry in itself is major contributor to Europe’s economy. It employs nearly 180,000 people in 6,300+ companies, with a total turnover of nearly €36 billion. PVC’s versatility significantly contributes to economic expansion beyond its primary uses, impacting a variety of sectors such as construction, healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and food production across Europe. Its crucial role in manufacturing cables for automation and robotics exemplifies its support for technological innovation and efficiency. PVC’s widespread application not only boosts operational efficiencies but also supports a vast network of European suppliers and manufacturers, sustaining numerous jobs.

Innovation and Development

The vinyl industry continuously invests in research and development to innovate and improve product performance. Examples are non-fossil (mass balance) PVC polymer and additives, new formulations for cables with enhanced fire and smoke properties, and novel applications of PVC in green energy and automotive. This drives economic growth and creates new market opportunities for other sectors.

Cost Savings

PVC or vinyl products are economically advantageous due to their low initial cost, long lifespan, minimal maintenance requirements, and recyclability. Numerous studies across various European countries have confirmed that PVC products, including pipes, flooring, and windows, exhibit the lowest Total Cost of Ownership. These cost savings benefit consumers, businesses, and governments, making PVC an economically efficient choice for a wide range of applications.

Infrastructure Development

PVC is a vital material in various infrastructure projects, including water supply systems, sewage pipes, irrigation, geomembranes for tunnels and bridges, and cables for telecommunications. It is also integral to green energy solutions, serving as cables, pipes, corrosion protection film, biogas covers, and core materials in wind turbine blades. The versatility, durability, and cost-effectiveness of PVC make it indispensable for building and maintaining infrastructure, thereby bolstering economic development.

Vinyl & You

aninteractivemap

Discover “Vinyl & You,” an engaging interactive map that reveals the surprising and diverse roles of PVC or vinyl in our everyday lives. From the construction of eco-efficient buildings and cutting-edge electronics to innovations in energy production and healthcare solutions, vinyl’s versatility is unmatched.

VinylPlus’ Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals

On 25 September 2015, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the resolution ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’, a transformative plan of action to address urgent global challenges over the next 15 years. Based on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it seeks not only to eradicate extreme poverty, but also to integrate and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental. Together, the SDGs form a comprehensive global vision to ensure sustainable social and economic progress worldwide.

The SDGs define global sustainable development priorities and aspirations for 2030 and seek to mobilise global efforts around a common set of goals and targets. They call for worldwide action by governments, business and civil society, and will shape future policies, action plans and initiatives at the international, national and regional levels. While the SDGs primarily target governments, they recognize the key role that business can and must play in achieving them.

VinylPlus aims to proactively contribute to addressing the global challenges and priorities through its sustainability programmes. Through VinylPlus, the European PVC industry is creating a long-term sustainability framework for the entire PVC value chain and improving PVC products sustainability and their contribution to a sustainable society.

The next 10-year Commitment of the European PVC industry to Sustainable Development, subscribed by VinylPlus and partners in June 2021, identifies three ‘pathways’ and 12 ‘action areas’ embracing the PVC value chain’s circularity, its advancement towards carbon neutrality, minimisation of the environmental footprint of the PVC production and products, and its engagement with stakeholders and global coalitions. It includes contributing to sustainable development through and engaging stakeholders in the sustainable transformation of the PVC industry. Partnerships with external stakeholders – public authorities, brand owners, NGOs, and civil society – are key to enhance the PVC industry’s contribution to the SDGs.

The following chart summarises the direct contribution of VinylPlus to the SDGs, assessed on the basis of the SDG Compass approach.