Uses and benefits

Plastics are among the most innovative and significant inventions of the 20th century. They have become key materials, not just to build our homes and offices with, but also to manufacture an increasing number of products that bring essential benefits to our everyday lives.

PVC, made flexible thanks to the use of plasticisers, is not only a very versatile material that can be used in countless applications, but it can also withstand physical stress without breaking. Its resiliency, together with its durability, makes flexible PVC a very sustainable material that can also be recycled and transformed into new products, allowing important energy savings and resource efficiency. Over 86% of all plasticisers produced in Europe are used in PVC applications.

Automotive

Cables and wires

Cladding and roofing

Coated fabrics

Film and sheet

Flooring

Food packaging – Cling wrap

Inks and waxes

Medical applications

Personal care and cosmetics

Toys

Tubes and hoses

About VinylPlus

VinylPlus, of which European Plasticisers is a founding member, is the sustainable development programme of the EU PVC industry. VinylPlus is taking the next important steps in tackling the sustainability challenges for PVC and also in establishing a long-term framework for the on-going sustainable development of the PVC value chain.

VinylPlus has proven to be a frontrunner with regards to the Circular Economy by working to continuously increase PVC recycling so as to reinject high volumes of quality recycling PVC back into the economy. In 2003, VinylPlus set up Recovinyl, an industry-wide recycling platform gathering recyclers and converters from all over Europe. Recovinyl is the main contributor to PVC recycling in Europe.

The VinylPlus programme has been developed bottom up in workshops and with an open process of stakeholder dialogue, including the industry, NGOs, regulators, public representatives and users of PVC. Five key sustainable development challenges have been identified for PVC together with a set of working principles and are based on The Natural Step System Conditions for a Sustainable Society.

The VinylPlus® Product Label is a labelling scheme which makes it easy for customers and markets to identify the most sustainable and high-performance PVC products. Currently, the scheme covers the PVC building products as defined in Article 2 and Annex I of the EU Construction Products Regulation 305/2011. The VinylPlus® Product Label has been developed by VinylPlus®, in collaboration with Building Research Establishment (BRE) and The Natural Step (TNS).

VinylPlus: a registered SMART partnership for the achievement of the UN SDGs

Through the VinylPlus initiative, the European PVC industry created a long-term sustainability framework for the entire PVC value chain and improving PVC products sustainability and their contribution to a sustainable society. This chart summarises the direct contribution of each of the five sustainability challenges of the VinylPlus Voluntary Commitment, assessed on the basis of the SDG Compass approach.

THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND VINYLPLUS

VinylPlus has proven to be a frontrunner with regards to the Circular Economy by ensuring continuous progress towards clearly defined sustainability goals. VinylPlus works to continuously increase PVC recycling so as to reinject high volumes of quality recycling PVC back into the economy. In 2003, VinylPlus set up Recovinyl, an industry-wide recycling platorfm gathering recyclers and converters from all over Europe. Recovinyl is the main contributor to PVC recycling in Europe. 

Factsheets

23 March 2018

Flexible PVC in sports [factsheet]

Flexible PVC in sports Plastics, and PVC in particular, have become one of the most widely  used materials in offices, households and buildings, playing a vital role in our everyday life. In sports...

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23 March 2018

Flexible PVC in wire and cable [factsheet]

Flexible PVC in wire and cable Wire and cable are the largest application sector for flexible PVC in Europe. They are widely used to power countless appliances and electrical equipment. From fridges,...

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25 October 2016

The power of many. Different plasticisers for different applications [factsheet]

The power of many. Different plasticisers for different applications Whenever PVC needs to have high elasticity and flexibility, plasticisers are there to do the job. But, did you know that they can...

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