Three projects granted funds to advance post-consumer PVC
recycling
WASHINGTON, June 20,
2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Vinyl Institute (VI),
a U.S. trade association representing the leading
manufacturers of vinyl, today announced its fourth round of
funding. Three organizations received nearly $332,000 in total through its
VIABILITY™ recycling grant program. This brings the
total dollar amount committed thus far to over $2 million – all thanks to generous contributions
from four PVC resin producers (Formosa, Oxy, Shintech, and
Westlake). The fourth round of
VIABILITY recycling grant recipients includes the Chemical Fabrics
and Films Association (CFFA), Every Shelter, and the University of Michigan.
'The VIABILITY recycling grant program was introduced to
accelerate the development of new technologies and capacity to
recycle post-consumer PVC," said Ned
Monroe, president and CEO of the VI. "The three newest
recipients of funding are representative of a broad spectrum of
opportunities to keep this valuable material out of the landfill
and in productive use in society. We are proud that the program is
helping us to achieve our recycling goals."
VIABILITY grants support the purchase of equipment, advanced
recycling, research and development, educational programs, and
program management for long-lasting and sustainable recycling of
PVC products. The vinyl industry's goal is to accelerate
post-consumer vinyl recycling to 160 million pounds by 2025.
The three individual VIABILITY grant recipients include:
•CFFA (Cleveland, OH): CFFA, a
global trade association representing manufacturers of fabrics and
film made from polymers, will use the grant to fund the cost of
recycling coordinators to continue to build out their roof
recycling infrastructure. They will also raise awareness with
building owners for future recycling opportunities.
•Every Shelter (Houston, TX):
Every Shelter is a nonprofit organization that repurposes vinyl
billboards to provide shelter for refugees in displacement camps in
the Middle East and East Africa. Every Shelter received a first
round of VIABILITY funding to develop a proof of concept for a
business model to repurpose used vinyl billboards for disaster
relief victims in the United
States. Every Shelter will use this round of funding to move
from proof-of-concept to self-sustainability while diverting
450,000 lbs. of PVC from landfills and assisting 12,500 disaster
victims.
•University of Michigan
(Ann Arbor, MI): The University of Michigan's Department of Chemistry
will use funds to continue their research in advanced recycling of
PVC through electrochemical conversion of PVC. The electrochemical
solvent based technology has potential both as a dechlorination
step for mixed plastic scenarios and for difficult to recycle
multilayer products like wire and cable and LVT flooring.
Applications for the fifth round of VIABILITY are due
September 6, 2024. For more
information on VIABILITY, visit
https://www.vinylinfo.org/recycling/.
About VIABILITY:
In January 2023, the Vinyl Institute
launched VIABILITY, a first-of-its-kind, industry-wide recycling
grant program aimed at accelerating post-consumer PVC recycling
across the country. The grant program makes available up to
$1 million in funds per year over the
next three years from four PVC resin manufacturers in the U.S.
(Formosa, Oxy, Shintech, and Westlake). Individual recycling grants issued
through VIABILITY are available to qualifying industry
collaborations such as trade associations, material recovery
facilities, construction and demolition waste facilities,
recyclers, or colleges and universities in amounts up to
$500,000.
About The Vinyl Institute:
The Vinyl Institute (VI), founded in 1982, is a U.S. trade
association representing the leading manufacturers of vinyl, vinyl
chloride monomer, vinyl additives, and modifiers. The VI works on
behalf of its members to promote the benefits of the world's most
versatile plastic, used to make everything from PVC piping to
flooring, roofing and vinyl siding. The vinyl industry in
the United States employs over
350,000 highly skilled employees at nearly 3,000 facilities and
generates an economic value of $54
billion. For more information, visit vinylinfo.org.
Media Contact
Gil Connolly, Vinyl
Sustainability Council, 2026644036, gconnolly@vinylinfo.org
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SOURCE Vinyl Sustainability Council