VinylPlus Sustainability Forum 2017 reshapes the PVC industry

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Berlin, the heart of Europe, provided the perfect backdrop for the VinylPlus Sustainability Forum 2017 last week (May 10th-11th 2017), where thought leaders and stakeholders from all over the world brought the pressing issues facing PVC to the fore, while appreciating the brilliant work the industry has been doing over the past year.

With some 160 delegates and speakers from as far afield as Japan and Canada, the first day of the event began by recognising the important role this international industry community plays in paving the way for improving not only vinyl as a product, but how it is perceived by brands, consumers and law-makers.

EPPM was present with sister title British Plastics & Rubber as media partners to the event, where we honoured our commitment to support the overarching theme of making the vinyl industry dialogue open and inclusive, in order to dissolve out-dated perceptions and foster innovation.

Times they are a-changin'

Director General of the British Plastics Federation (BPF) Philip Law commenced proceedings as Moderator for the first day by remarking upon how cooperative and unified the PVC community is before welcoming Vice-President EMEA IHS Markit Michael Smith to the stage with his presentation 'Times they are a-changin''.

Smith identified a future capacity need on a global scale, because while construction in China is experiencing further slowdown, Europe and the US are still growing (albeit steadily).

"US cracker delays means there's not enough ethylene to go round, so expect higher ethylene prices in the US, and in Europe we expect margins up to 2021 to continue to be very high," he forecast.

Namsak Choonhajutha, ASEAN Vinyl Council General Manager, brought the delegation up to speed on vinyl demand in the South-east Asian group of nations, which has experienced 5.1 per cent growth, second only behind India, due to a booming construction industry and incentivised eco-label purchasing, while lead replacement in pipe manufacturing is happening "faster and better than expected".

Next, the audience was taken to the Southern Hemisphere for Vinyl Council of Australia Chief Executive Sophi MacMillan's summary of the PVC marketplace down under.

"We are now wholly reliant on importing resin," she stated, adding that construction is experience strong growth in Australia.

The Vinyl Council of Australia, MacMillan said, is working to make its members stand out in the marketplace by promoting education, advocacy and accreditation, while launching a new campaign to promote best practice in PVC. She touched on the fact the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018 has recognised a preference for PVC products with best-practice verification in its procurement policies.

Miguel Bahiense of the Instituto Do PVC in Brazil brought an on-going correspondence to the attention of the delegation, between the Instituto and His Holiness the Pope, after his Holiness made a statement that could have been perceived as discouraging people from choosing plastic products due to their environmental impact as waste. The Instituto responded, urging the Pope to consider the benefits of plastics in the supply chain and they are awaiting a reply.

Vice-President Yunnan Zhengbang Chemical Cathy Wang delivered a summary on the PVC industry in China, which is experiencing a great deal of growth from the cables and pipes sectors and Shigetaka Seki, Executive Director of the Vinyl Environmental Council, set out a roadmap for PVC growth in Japan, which includes a prominent use of PVC products in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games as organisers look to match or beat London 2012 in terms of energy efficiency and recyclability.

'Joining the movement'

CEO of the Vinyl Institute of Canada Aiñe Curran took a different tack from her contemporaries, asking the audience if there were any Millennials present. Even if a few Millennials (under-35s) were too shy to raise their hands, it was clear they were in the extreme minority; which is the point Curran was making, that the PVC industry is very good at representing an older generation, but it must make sure the conversation transcends demographics.

"Millennials will be dominating our marketplace. They will be driving all the decisions. They’re driven by causes they tend to identify with causes," she stated. "Reshaping the vinyl narrative means joining the movement."

Dick Doyle, CEO of the Vinyl Institute, then brought the audience up to speed on the American vinyl industry, which is benefiting from a recovering housing market and ongoing renewal of water infrastructure, as well as an increase in favourability for vinyl products according to an architecture survey.

To round off the global PVC updates by region, Thomas Hülsmann, Managing Director of AGPU, revealed that the EU 28 construction industry is still on the road to recovery, but building is happening across the continent, with Germany erecting more than 350,000 buildings in 2016 - a level the nation will have to maintain to ensure there is enough housing for the population.

Hülsmann revealed the cheering news that in Germany plastics recycling is at 90 per cent - almost as high as paper and glass, proving that plastics industry circularity is indeed within reach.

Michael Smith moderated the panel discussion between the international representatives, which once more raised the issue of clear communication between the PVC industry and the rest of the world in a bid to boost awareness and reduce instances of mis-reporting of PVC, or 'Fake News' to coin a topical phrase.

Doyle urged the media: "Don't be lazy, pick up the phone and ask us how it works."

Curran added that the Let's Talk Vinyl live chat function means there is always an expert on-hand to answer a question, rebut a myth or raise awareness about a target for improving efficiency and eco-friendliness. Seki urged that outsiders remember 'facts first'.

Quality across the applications

After covering the major PVC marketplaces, the conference programme touched upon major sections of the PVC industry: medical, pipe and cable.

BASF's Rainer Otter said that although the medical side of PVC does not have a very large share of the market, it is still a high-accountability market.

Otter presented a book on the matter 'Vinyl in Hospitals', which demonstrates the advantages of PVC in a medical environment in an attractive and digestible way.

Yolanda Martinez of Molecor represented the pipe industry and PVC4Pipes.

"We have high commitment to a quality product. Our pipes are certified around the world and we have high sustainability commitment. We want to contribute to PVC pipes and their advantages," she stated.

Zdenek Hruska of the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers presented PVC4Cables, a group that promotes PVC cables and communicate their benefits.

"We want to participate in the development of standards and innovation ... and we want to attract further members to join the platform," he said.

Philip Law rounded off the day by reiterating the call to expand the dialogue to other demographics, especially the next generation.

"Who will come after us and pass on the knowledge we’ve developed in our quest for more sustainable PVC? Who will indeed come after us?"

'No simple answers to complex questions'

The second day of the conference was given an auspicious start from Josef Ertl, Chairman at VinylPlus, and Michael Kundel, President of EuPC.

"The last time we met in Berlin in 2009, it was to mark the first 10-year VinylPlus programme and gained a lot of recognition as a very successful and very good example for industry self-regulation," Ertl said. "And it was here in Berlin where we started to transform from an internal industry gathering to more of a stakeholder event."

"As we are all aware in this industry there are no simple answers to complex questions," added Kundel. "To make things worse in 2016, the political environment in Europe has changed and I am convinced further separation and populism will only create uncertainty and might impede our efforts in sustainability."

"I call on everybody in our industry to cooperate towards a more sustainable future. The VinylPlus voluntary commitment can serve as a role model for creating a more sustainable future across the value chain. This forum in Berlin is the right event to demonstrate progress in the plastics industry."

The morning's presentations were moderated by former European Commission officer Jim Currie, who admitted the EU's circular economy targets for plastics are ambitious, but set a good benchmark for the rest of the world.

He then introduced first speaker Christophe Yvetot, UNIDO representative for the EU, who brought the EU's Agenda 2030 and Circular Economy targets to the attention of the delegation.

"We are entering an era of hyper efficiency," he stated, "I'm optimistic we can really improve the contribution of industry to sustainability and we need to make sure what is being done in Europe is being done all over the world."

Bringing the EU 28 in line

But even in Europe, there is still plenty to be done, especially in Eastern European nations such as Slovakia. Norbet Kurilla, State Secretary for the Slovak Republic's Ministry of Environment, said targets set by industry and the EU serve as the motivation member states need, but the varied circumstances of different member states need to be taken into consideration.

The Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU 2016 campaign, he revealed, has opened a dialogue within the Slovak Republic, which has been carried on by the Maltese Presidency this year and will, hopefully, be continued by Estonian EU Council presidency in the second half of 2017.

"I remain positive and confident that when Estonia takes over in July they will remember that Circular Economy is the whole value chain," Kurilla stated, adding that Slovakia's sustainability progress remain active, with schemes such as the Bratislava Green Economy bringing the nation's efforts in line with EU targets.

European Commission Policy Officer for Circular Economy and Plastics Strategy Dr Werner Bosmans followed with some home truths, that virgin material is cheap and that a biomass economy could be damaging to biodiversity if pursued too aggressively. He stated that design for durability and recycling is the missing piece of the puzzle for PVC circularity, and that it needn't cost anything.

Standing in for Dr Helge Wendenburg of the German Federal Minister for the Environment was Dr Alexander Janz, who reminded delegates that Germany has achieved 'one per cent plastics to landfill', and therefore a plastics Circular Economy needn't seem impossible. Nevertheless, only 45 per cent of the remainder is recycled, while 43 per cent goes to energy recovery, and the German government would like to increase its plastics recycling rate to over 50 per cent.

Cees Luttikhuizen of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure followed with the creed: "Practice what you preach but preach only what you can practice."

Recycling targets, he said, have to be met without unacceptable risk to health or the environment, but lateral thinking can make this achievable, for instance, by manufacturing PVC pipe from recycled PVC, coating the outer and inner layers with a thin film of virgin to meet hygiene standards.

He pressed the importance of a roadmap for the EU 28, as well as science-based decision-making and transparency, especially regarding the waste industries.

Comparing science

Next followed a panel discussion involving the morning's speakers in addition to PlasticsEurope Director-General Rüdiger Baunemann, who insisted the EU's approach to waste management takes a broad perspective.

Kurilla added that the EU's stance on waste management must be holistic and that for Slovakia, there is a real drive to reduce landfilling levels - but as these are currently at 65 per cent for plastics, there is a lot of work to be done.

Dr Bosmans advised that recycling should be the first port of call for waste rather than incineration and although recycling may not always be possible, adopting this mind set could foster innovation across the EU 28. He also mooted the idea of a deposit system in countries like Slovakia, where recycling needs to enter the public consciousness.

Jim Currie concluded that achieving a Circular Economy in plastics "demands that people sit down, talk, and compare science", while breaking silos and spreading the conversation to different groups of stakeholders.

After a networking lunch the delegation was greeted back to its seats by VinylPlus General Manager Brigitte Dero who insisted that VinylPlus reports its efforts extensively - it does not 'greenwash'.

"Data is something we always have to provide as an industry otherwise we cannot be credible," she said, adding that 568,696 tonnes of PVC were recycled in 2017, with 3.5 million tonnes of the material being recycled since 2000 - mostly window profiles.

Design for disassembly

Denkstatt's Harald Pilz moderated the next session, which began with a mind-blowing presentation from Prof Dr Ernst Ulrich Von Weizsäcker, Co-President of the global thin tank, the Club of Rome.

He put forward the concept that if products are designed intelligently, the recycling issue need not be such a challenge. Design for disassembly and design for long-life and reparability are an elegant solution, he explained.

"Keep the components intact and design the instrument to recompose the components," he said. "This keeps all the materials in use and there's no recycling challenge. You have to repair and maintain."

Alexander Hofer of Chemson followed this cry for eco-design and making the most of the additive manufacturing technologies available to us, which could do away with cumbersome and expensive spare part stock in the future.

PVC as a material for additive manufacturing, he added, provides excellent flow, performance, layer adhesion, thermostability, flame retardency and low warping, making it perfect for end-use part manufacture.

The discussion to follow was fired up by Consultant and Greenpeace campaigner Jacob Hartmann, who played devil's advocate with the panel, which included PlasticsEurope Director of Consumer and Environmental Affairs Dr Patricia Vangheluwe and Next Level Group Partner Richard Blume.

"I seriously think you need to get some outside help," Hartmann stated, when quizzed about how VinylPlus will meet its targets for sustainability and change perceptions of PVC as the black sheep of plastics.

"This business about science-based decision making - yes we all agree on that. There is also a political world out there. Open it up and start to discuss these things. I believe you do have some products that do have a chance of survival. Secure your products for survival and open the debate," he stated.

We need total life cycle management, Blume stated. "This Circular Economy is not just about one lifecycle, it's infinite lifecycles."

"Plastic is still a very young material and understanding the material at universities will help in creating the innovations we need," said Vangheluwe. "All of us need to contribute to continue talking to one another."

Support, improve, persist

The final speaker session, chaired by myself, was a treat for the eyes and ears after a full 24 hours of data, science and policy.

The inspired and at times unbelievable work of architect Stéphane Malka demonstrated how the mechanical properties of PVC make even statement designs possible, with a perfect home in the prefab and non-permanent corners of construction - but he admitted that when non-permanent buildings then become permanent, PVC can stand the test of time.

His talk covered housing for refugees, making the most of 'wasted' spaces in metropolises, and even art pieces such as the Saharan tent, lined with PVC, which was pitched outside the Institut du Monde Arab in Paris in 2014-15 to honour an exhibition on Moroccan culture.

Petra Lundblad and Klara Persson of Bolon followed, and demonstrated how vinyl, when woven on a jacquard loom is a durable floor covering that can carry incredible designs and colours, and can even make use of recycled materials, proving there is an attractive end market for recycled PVC.

The pair showcased their collections for Missoni, Bolon for You and Bolon by Jean Nouvel, tempting those watching on who (like me) are decorating their homes and looking for inspiration.

The VinylPlus Sustainability Forum 2017 was closed by Brigitte Dero and Josef Ertl.

"Please go on with your activities," was Ertl's call to action. "Try to further improve our future and everything you do and keep going. We rely on the support of the whole industry. I would like to thank everybody and hopefully we will have the chance to shape the future together."

The VinylPlus Sustainability Forum will return in 2018 at an as-yet undisclosed location in Spain.

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