VinylPlus® and the VinylPlus Product Label. Could the industry label be integrated into independent sustainability certification schemes?

Abstract

In building & construction (B&C), polymeric materials are being used for roofing and waterproofing membranes, coated fabrics ("textile architecture"), window profiles, electrical installation, flooring, pipes, etc. The most widely used plastic for such long-life applications in B&C is Vinyl (PVC). VinylPlus is the value chain's commitment for sustainable development. The voluntary commitment has a track record with publicly available progress reports, based on third party auditing and monitoring since 2001. More recently: After having substituted certain additives such as lead compounds, that had previously been used as stabilizers, and after abandoning mercury cell technology, VinylPlus is addressing further needs of the sustainability communities, e.g. by zooming in on additives and complementing standard LCA requirements. The VinylPlus voluntary commitment for sustainable development has been developing an additives sustainability footprint (ASF) and a set of criteria for its product label. The scope and the current status of those tools will be presented and examples be given in order to document the relevance of those efforts. The information given is intended to fuel the discussion on how can / to which extent should those value chain commitments be integrated into existing sustainability.