The Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC) continues to advance sustainability of the entire U.S. vinyl industry. Our Sustainability Journey: 2015-2019, released by the VSC, provides a transparent view into the U.S. vinyl/PVC industry’s actions, plans, and strategy with a focused look at the last five years of progress on a journey that dates back more than 40.
“Our Sustainability Journey: 2015-2019 details an initiative that is bringing the entire U.S. vinyl industry together to develop and advance a strategic framework for sustainable practices,” said Jay Thomas, VSC Executive Director. “The industry recognizes that a sustainable model requires consistent year-over-year improvements. The VSC is providing leadership today to drive how our sustainability journey will evolve in the future.”
The publication documents the creation of the VSC and how members from across the vinyl value chain developed a strategic direction to rally the entire industry – from resin manufacturers to end-product producers – around goals for sustainability.
For example, it includes the details behind the materiality assessment used to determine the impact areas where the PVC industry could make the most meaningful contributions. Results of the materiality assessment identified three impact categories – landfill diversion (recycling and waste management), health and safety (prioritizing both community and user health and safety), and emissions (prioritizing emissions to air, biodiversity and emissions to soil, and emissions to water) – where the industry is focusing its sustainability efforts. The impact categories align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), Goal 9 (Industry Innovation and Infrastructure), and Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
Additionally, the publication showcases how a pilot initiative of eight companies developed and tested +Vantage Vinyl™, a verification and reporting resource aligned with the VSC’s impact categories. +Vantage Vinyl reflects a company’s commitment to the prudent use of economic and natural resources to promote the long-term wellbeing of our society and environment. It is used by companies to generate sustainability performance improvements and report progress.
To view the publication, click here.
About the Vinyl Sustainability Council
The Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC), founded in 2016 in partnership with the Vinyl Institute is a council created to advance the vinyl industry’s efforts in addressing sustainability. The VSC is a collaborative platform for companies, organizations and other industry stakeholders to come together to create a sustainable development path for the industry. For more information, please visit vinylinfo.org/vinyl-sustainability-council.
