The Next 10-Year Commitment of the European Pvc Industry to Sustainable Development
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THE NEXT 10-YEAR COMMITMENT OF THE EUROPEAN PVC INDUSTRY TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PATHWAY 2 PATHWAY 3 PATHWAY 1 Advancing Towards Carbon Neutrality and Minimising OurO Environmental PA TH Footprint WA Y 2 3 AY THW PA 1 AY Building THW Global Coalitions PA and Partnering for the SDGs Scaling Up PVC Value Chain Circularity TABLE OF CONTENTS 04 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 06 INTRODUCTION PVC’S CONTRIBUTION TO A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY BUILDING ON 20+ YEARS OF PROGRESS A NEW ROADMAP FOR 2030 08 VINYLPLUS WORKING PRINCIPLES 09 THE VINYLPLUS 2030 COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 10 VINYLPLUS 2030 PATHWAYS PATHWAY 1 SCALING UP PVC VALUE CHAIN CIRCULARITY PATHWAY 2 ADVANCING TOWARDS CARBON NEUTRALITY AND MINIMISING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT PATHWAY 3 BUILDING GLOBAL COALITIONS AND PARTNERING FOR THE SDGs 16 SUMMARY OF MAJOR MILESTONES TO 2030 17 VINYLPLUS 2030 COMMITMENT SIGNATORIES 18 APPENDIX GLOSSARY PATHWAY 2 PATHWAY 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PATHWAY 1 VinylPlus 2030 is the next 10-year Commitment of the European PVC industry to Sustainable Development. It builds upon a track record of 20+ years of progress and achievements by the European PVC value chain. With its renewed Commitment, VinylPlus aims to contribute proactively to addressing the global sustainability challenges and priorities. VinylPlus 2030 covers the EU-27 plus Norway, Switzerland and the UK. The VinylPlus 2030 Commitment has been developed bottom-up through industry workshops and with an open process of stakeholder consultation. Three ‘pathways’ and 12 ‘action areas’ have been identified 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. All targets will be subject to a mid-term review in 2025, to take into account technological progress as well as the evolution of socio-economic, regulatory and environmental frameworks. For the avoidance of doubt, when implementing the Commitment, partners of VinylPlus® are required at all times to comply with EU and national competition laws of the 27 EU Member States, Norway, Switzerland and the UK. 4 VinylPlus 2030 THE NEXT 10-YEAR COMMITMENT VINYLPLUS 2030’S PATHWAYS AND ACTION AREAS: PATHWAY 1 Scaling up PVC Value Chain Circularity 1.1. Advancing our circularity ambitions 1.2. Fostering science-based solutions for the safe and sustainable use of additives 1.3. Supporting innovative recycling technologies 1.4. Prioritising circularity through ecodesign PATHWAY 2 Advancing towards Carbon Neutrality and Minimising our Environmental Footprint 2.1. Advancing towards carbon neutrality 2.2. Embracing the sustainable use of chemical substances 2.3. Minimising our environmental footprint 2.4. Responsible supplier criteria and programmes PATHWAY 3 Building Global Coalitions and Partnering for the SDGs 3.1 Ensuring transparency and accountability 3.2. Contributing to sustainable development through certified and traceable products 3.3. Engaging stakeholders in the sustainable transformation of the PVC industry 3.4. Partnering with stakeholders VinylPlus 2030 THE NEXT 10-YEAR COMMITMENT 5 PATHWAY 2 PATHWAY 3 INTRODUCTION PATHWAY 1 PVC’S CONTRIBUTION TO A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, is one of the most versatile and widely used polymers in the world. PVC continues to make life safer and more comfortable through its extensive use in building and construction, as well as in water distribution, automotive, cabling, smart cards and credit cards, packaging, fashion and design, sports, agriculture, telecommunications, medical devices and a wide array of other areas and products. PVC is an intrinsically low-carbon plastic: 57% of its molecular weight is chlorine derived from common salt; 5% is hydrogen; and 38% is carbon. It is an extremely durable and cost-efficient material which can be recycled several times at end of life without losing its essential properties. Several PVC applications – such as pipes, window profiles, cables, flooring, membranes and films – have been analysed in terms of Life Cycle Assessments and eco-efficiency, and they have shown excellent environmental performance. Thanks to their intrinsic characteristics and properties, PVC products can make positive contributions towards several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs) targets. To help eradicate poverty, PVC can provide goods and services that underpin basic human needs, making them available for all, at affordable costs. PVC pipes help provide access to clean water and sanitation all over the world. PVC piping systems are easy to install and highly durable, enabling efficient irrigation even in remote areas and addressing global issues such as soil erosion and water scarcity. In healthcare, PVC devices account for about 40% of all plastics-based medical devices in hospitals, where they are used for their durability, barrier properties and physiological inertness. Healthcare buildings benefit from PVC applications such as flooring, wall coverings and window profiles in terms of safety and hygiene as well as personal comfort. PVC is also utilised for temporary emergency structures (field hospitals, tents to protect against biological risk and medical devices) that are suitable for health emergencies. In the building and construction sector, which accounts for around 70% of PVC volumes, the main PVC applications such as windows profiles, pipes, flooring, roofing membranes, wires and cables offer solutions that are efficient in terms of cost, energy, and resources. PVC products not only save energy during use, but they are also integral to renewable energy technologies. Examples include transparent pipes for photo-bioreactors, photovoltaic cells on reflective PVC roofing membranes, wind turbine blades pressure pipes for geothermal projects, pipes in biogas plants and solar pond liners. 6 VinylPlus 2030 THE NEXT 10-YEAR COMMITMENT BUILDING ON 20+ YEARS OF PROGRESS Since 2000, the European PVC industry (PVC manufacturers, additive producers and converters represented by their European associations ECVM, European Plasticisers, ESPA, and EuPC) has been strongly committed to implementing a long-term sustainability framework for the entire PVC value chain and improving PVC products’ sustainability and circularity, as well as their contribution to a sustainable society. Through the adoption of the first two Voluntary 10-year Commitments, the European PVC industry aimed at minimising the environmental impact of PVC production and manufacturing, promoting the responsible use of additives, supporting collection and recycling, as well as encouraging dialogue among all industry stakeholders. As a united value chain, VinylPlus has achieved valuable progress in terms of product stewardship, the substitution of problematic additives, the development of best practices, research into innovative technologies and improvement of the environmental footprint of PVC. Remarkable advances have been made in recycling, with the set-up of collection and recycling schemes, virtually non-existent 20 years ago, and which today represent a model for other industry sectors. Since 2000, the European PVC industry has recycled 6.5 million tonnes of PVC, thus preventing the release of nearly 13 million tonnes 1 of CO2 into the atmosphere. Recognizing that progress towards sustainable development is a journey of continuous improvement and that there are open challenges which the PVC and plastics industry in general must continue to address, the PVC industry confirms its strong commitment to sustainable development with its next 10-year programme. A NEW ROADMAP FOR 2030 The VinylPlus programme to 2020 was developed through open dialogue with stakeholders, identifying key challenges for PVC on the basis of The Natural Step System Conditions for a Sustainable Society.2 For its next sustainability programme to 2030, in order to contribute proactively to addressing the global challenges and priorities, VinylPlus adopted an outside-in3 approach to goal setting. The next VinylPlus Commitment aims to contribute to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with a particular focus on sustainable consumption and production, climate change and partnerships. It also seeks to align with the most relevant EU policies, such as the Circular Economy Action Plan and the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability under the European Green Deal. In line with VinylPlus’ active participation in the European Commission’s Circular Plastics Alliance (CPA), the new commitment also embraces the CPA’s targets on the use of recycled plastics in new products. 1 According to a conservative estimation, for each kg of PVC recycled, 2 kg of CO2 are saved 2 https://thenaturalstep.org/approach/the-system-conditions/ 3 The ‘outside-in’ approach is identified by the SDG Compass (https://sdgcompass.org) as better addressing global needs: “By looking at what is needed externally from a global perspective and setting goals accordingly, business will bridge the gap between current performance and required performance”, SDG Compass Guide 2015, p. 19 VinylPlus 2030 THE NEXT 10-YEAR COMMITMENT 7 PATHWAY 2 PATHWAY 3 VinylPlus PATHWAY 1 WORKING PRINCIPLES In implementing its 2030 programme, VinylPlus is committed to the following guiding principles: Measurable targets and deadlines Ensure accountable objectives that all industries engaging in the Commitment will seek to achieve together. Transparency and accountability Guarantee openness,