Vinyl Council of Australia and US Vinyl Sustainability Council to explore sustainability program
The Vinyl Council of Australia (VCA) and the United States Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore a pathway to reciprocity between their two sustainability programs by sharing best practices and collaborating on sustainability program development.
Collaboration between the VCA’s PVC Stewardship Program and VSC’s +Vantage Vinyl™ program seeks to promote global harmonisation, broaden recognition of industry leaders, and increase industry participation in these sustainability programs.
“While circumstances vary regionally, sustainability is a global issue and vinyl products participate in a global market,” says Sophi MacMillan, VCA Chief Executive. “It is in the best interest of the industry and society to work across borders to help the vinyl industry to continue to make progress.”
Trade association-led sustainability programs serve an important function to advance voluntary improvements in the industry. Working together, member companies can share best practices leading to continuous improvement throughout the industry.
“Many of our members do business throughout the world,” says Jay Thomas, VSC Executive Director. “Developing a pathway to reciprocity between the various sustainability programs will foster progress by easing the administration burden on companies and encouraging more participation. Increased program participation is a key factor in advancing the sustainability of the industry.”
Companies participating in the PVC Stewardship Program and +Vantage Vinyl programs agree to transparent voluntary commitments and guiding principles of sustainability that are measured and reported on an annual basis. The programs are designed to be inclusive for companies at any stage of the sustainability journey but encourage continuous improvement. The overall performance of member companies is reflected in annual sustainability reporting.
With a significant track record of driving change through the industry since 2002, the VCA’s PVC Stewardship Program is an example of voluntary stewardship bringing benefit to both industry and community through its 40-plus Signatories.
Sophi adds: “PVC is recyclable, and the amount of both pre and post-consumer recycling is growing. This partnership and harmonisation can help recognize global vinyl recycling strategies.”
To learn more about the PVC Stewardship Program visit https://www.vinyl.org.au/sustainability/stewardship and https://vantagevinyl.com for more information about +Vantage Vinyl.
About the Vinyl Council of Australia
Vinyl Council of Australia (VCA) is a member-based organisation acting as the peak organisation representing the Australian PVC, or vinyl, value chain. Its members are drawn from across the supply chain of the vinyl industry in Australia. VCA is advancing the sustainability of the industry through advocating the responsible manufacture, use and disposal of PVC products. Its PVC Stewardship Program was launched in 2002 and is an on-going, long-term, voluntary undertaking by the Australian PVC industry to recognise, and progressively address relevant environmental, social, health and safety issues associated with PVC products within responsible and deliverable time frames. For more information, please visit https://www.vinyl.org.au.
About the Vinyl Sustainability Council
The Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC), founded in 2016 in partnership with the Vinyl Institute, is a council created to advance the vinyl industry’s efforts in addressing sustainability in the United States. The VSC is a collaborative platform for companies, organisations and other industry stakeholders to come together to create a sustainable development path for the industry. For more information, please visit vantagevinyl.com/vinyl-sustainability-council/.
For more information, contact:
Jan van de Graaff, VCA Product Stewardship Manager
03 9510 1711
