Vinyl Industry Launches Sustainability Initiative

The Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC) has launched +Vantage Vinyl, a voluntary collaboration of companies in the vinyl value chain committed to proactively advancing sustainable development, reducing their environmental footprint and making a difference by doing more with less.

“We’re predicted to need three planets worth of natural resources to meet the needs of the 10.5 billion global population in 30 years. That’s just not sustainable,” says Cristian Barcan, the Vinyl Sustainability Council’s executive director. “Vinyl can help meet the needs of this exploding population and our declining resources. Our solution begins with advancing an industry-wide approach to sustainability.” 

Participants in +Vantage Vinyl will set and meet annual goals in three priority impact areas: landfill diversion, health and safety and emissions. The VSC identified these target areas from the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, selecting arenas where the U.S. vinyl industry can make the most impact. For example, these goals include increasing recycling efforts beyond the 1.1 billion lb of vinyl recycled annually in the U.S. and Canada; increasing emphasis on workplace health and safety initiatives and product stewardship policies designed to minimize user exposures; and identifying best practices for continually reducing direct emissions across the industry.

Vantage Vinyl is partnering with GreenCircle Certified, LLC, an independent third-party, to verify and report on key performance indicators achieved by each participating company. 

Membership is voluntary and open to U.S. vinyl value chain companies that are resin suppliers, raw material/additive suppliers, material compounders, end-product manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, recyclers, and distributors. Inaugural +Vantage Vinyl members include Oxy, Shintech, Westlake Chemical, Formosa Plastics, Sika, Chemours, Mexichem and PolyOne.