PVC RECYCLING
Nearly 515,000 t of PVC recycled via Europe's VinylPlus scheme in 2015 / PVC collection volatile, with better results in Q2 and Q4 / Products made from virgin PVC contain no lead from 2016
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Some 514,913 t of PVC was recycled in 2015 as part of the European PVC industry’s VinylPlus (www.vinylplus.eu) programme, of which window profiles and related profile products accounted for about 45%, according to VinylPlus. This compares with 481,018 t of PVC recycled in 2014 – see Plasteurope.com of 14.05.2015. “The collection of PVC was volatile, with better results in Q2 and Q4,” reports VinylPlus. Recyclers faced lower demand from pipe manufacturers, while recyclers and converters remained concerned about uncertainties in the implementation of relevant EU regulations such as REACH, CLP and hazardous waste, it says.
A significant increase of recycled PVC was registered in Italy in 2015, thanks to reinforcement of the Recovinyl (Brussels / Belgium; www.recovinyl.com) PVC waste collection and recycling network. Recovinyl, which operates the VinylPlus programme, now comprises 177 companies across Europe. Recovinyl registered and certified 508,154 t of recycled PVC in 2015, and aims to recycle 800,000 t/y by 2020.
Josef Ertl, VinylPlus’ chairman, said one of the PVC industry’s major successes was the replacement of lead-based stabilisers in the EU-28 market by the end of 2015. As a result, from 2016 products made from virgin PVC resin by European converters no longer contain lead. “This was undoubtedly the highlight of the year for VinylPlus, and it concluded a challenging journey that saw close cooperation along the value chain to solve technical constraints,” he added.
VinylPlus also confirmed its commitment to addressing problems arising from "legacy additives" in recycled PVC in cooperation with regulatory authorities. The presence of legacy additives – substances whose use in PVC products has been discontinued but are contained in recycled PVC – could restrict recycling activities. For example, uncertainties linked to the EU regulatory framework on the use of recycled PVC caused the piping industry to postpone investments in new products such as multi-layer pipes with recyclates, VinylPlus says.
e-Service:
VinylPlus "Progress Report 2016" as a PDF file
A significant increase of recycled PVC was registered in Italy in 2015, thanks to reinforcement of the Recovinyl (Brussels / Belgium; www.recovinyl.com) PVC waste collection and recycling network. Recovinyl, which operates the VinylPlus programme, now comprises 177 companies across Europe. Recovinyl registered and certified 508,154 t of recycled PVC in 2015, and aims to recycle 800,000 t/y by 2020.
Josef Ertl, VinylPlus’ chairman, said one of the PVC industry’s major successes was the replacement of lead-based stabilisers in the EU-28 market by the end of 2015. As a result, from 2016 products made from virgin PVC resin by European converters no longer contain lead. “This was undoubtedly the highlight of the year for VinylPlus, and it concluded a challenging journey that saw close cooperation along the value chain to solve technical constraints,” he added.
VinylPlus also confirmed its commitment to addressing problems arising from "legacy additives" in recycled PVC in cooperation with regulatory authorities. The presence of legacy additives – substances whose use in PVC products has been discontinued but are contained in recycled PVC – could restrict recycling activities. For example, uncertainties linked to the EU regulatory framework on the use of recycled PVC caused the piping industry to postpone investments in new products such as multi-layer pipes with recyclates, VinylPlus says.
e-Service:
VinylPlus "Progress Report 2016" as a PDF file
11.05.2016 Plasteurope.com [234021-0]
Published on 11.05.2016
German version of this article...