Sika Committed to Vinyl’s Sustainability Initiative

The Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC) is launching a groundbreaking initiative to advance and recognize the U.S. vinyl industry as a trusted leader in sustainability. +Vantage Vinyl is a voluntary collaboration of companies in the vinyl value chain committed to proactively advancing sustainable development, reducing their environmental footprint and making a difference by doing more with less.

“+Vantage Vinyl is the industry’s path to advance sustainable development throughout the supply chain,” said Ned Monroe, president and CEO of the Vinyl Institute. “Vinyl has come together to collaborate, anticipate upcoming challenges and identify a return on investment in sustainability. After three years of work by the Vinyl Sustainability Council, we are proud to announce this game-changing commitment.”

Cristian Barcan, the Vinyl Sustainability Council’s executive director: “Vinyl can help meet the needs of this exploding population and our declining resources. Our solution begins with advancing an industry-wide approach to sustainability.”

“For decades, Sika Sarnafil has been recognized as a sustainability leader in the vinyl roofing industry,” said Stanley Graveline, Senior Vice President Technical Services and Sustainability for Sika Sarnafil and the Chairman of the Vinyl Sustainability Council. “We are proud to have Sika Sarnafil be one of the first companies certified in the new, groundbreaking +Vantage Vinyl program.”

Participants in +Vantage Vinyl will set and meet annual goals in three priority impact areas: landfill diversion, health and safety, and emissions. The VSC identified these target areas from the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, selecting arenas where the U.S. vinyl industry can make the most impact. For example, these goals include increasing recycling efforts beyond the 1.1 billion pounds of vinyl recycled annually in U.S. and Canada; increasing emphasis on workplace health and safety initiatives and product stewardship policies designed to minimize user exposures; and identifying best practices for continually reducing direct emissions across the industry.

Vantage Vinyl is partnering with GreenCircle Certified, LLC, an independent third-party, to verify and report on key performance indicators achieved by each participating company. Membership is voluntary and open to U.S. vinyl value chain companies that are resin suppliers, raw material/additive suppliers, material compounders, end-product manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, recyclers, and distributors. Inaugural +Vantage Vinyl members include Oxy, Shintech, Westlake Chemical, Formosa Plastics, Sika Sarnafil, Chemours, Mexichem, and PolyOne. The new initiative officially launched June 4, 2019, at the Sustainable Brands conference in Detroit, Michigan.

About the Vinyl Institute (VI)

The Vinyl Institute, founded in 1982, is a U.S. trade organization representing the leading manufacturers of vinyl, vinyl chloride monomer, and vinyl additives and modifiers. The Vinyl Institute serves as the voice for the vinyl industry, which encompasses nearly 3,000 vinyl manufacturing facilities, more than 350,000 employees and an overall economic value of $54 billion. Check out http://www.vinylinfo.org/ to learn more about the vinyl industry and VI.

About the Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC)

The Vinyl Sustainability Council is a self-funded council created by the Vinyl Institute in 2016 to advance the efforts of the vinyl industry as it addresses sustainability and related advocacy, communication, and technical issues in North America. +Vantage Vinyl is a collaborative initiative of the VSC dedicated to best practices and innovations for a sustainable world for current and future generations. Visit +Vantage Vinyl and check out the Vinyl Sustainability Council for more information about our industry sustainability efforts.