4 Ways Your Organization Can Join the Fight Against COVID-19

To say it’s been an interesting few weeks is an absolute understatement. As a nation, we’ve experienced an overwhelming amount of change, both in our personal and professional lives. We’re all learning to navigate our new health and economic realities. I am proud of how the vinyl industry is adapting and modifying operations to meet critical needs, protect its team members and keep businesses running.

The Vinyl Institute’s Three Priorities

As we continue to navigate this new normal, the Vinyl Institute (VI) is here for our members and the entire PVC industry. We’re responding with three priorities in mind:

• 1. Continuity of business
     • As an essential industry, designated by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the VI is working tirelessly to ensure that vinyl manufacturing plants remain operational. We’ve established clear and open communication with both federal and state officials. While most state and local governments are following CISA’s guidance on critical infrastructure employees, we are intervening when necessary, to keep vinyl businesses open.
  2. Compliance with government regulations
     • The VI is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and other regulatory agencies to receive appropriate enforcement discretion to overcome practical hurdles. We appreciate that the EPA has given forbearance temporarily, for example.
  3. Logistics
     • Logistics are a key component to consider, which includes worker shortages and transportation issues—our products are useless if they can’t get to the destinations where they’re needed or there aren’t people available to make them. We are working to ensure rest stops remain open for truckers, and assisting when needed if products get stuck at a port of entry.

  We are choosing to be strategic with how we can best assist during this time. For this reason, we aren’t focused on health and hygiene nor economic issues, as our member companies can better engage with these topics.

  How to Support the Battle Against COVID-19

  We’re proud to see how the vinyl industry, along with so many others, has gone above and beyond to help during this health crisis, as well as see the impact vinyl products have had. We’re compiling those stories here if you’d like to read about how the vinyl industry has responded so far. If your organization is looking for ways to get involved in the fight and provide aid, here are several actions you can take.

  • Sell medical supplies or equipment to the federal government. You can submit a price quote here.
  • Donate medical supplies or equipment. Provide details on your available goods here.
  • Support the response to COVID-19 with non-medical goods. Submit your inquiry to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Procurement Action Innovative Response Team (PAIR) team at DHSIndustryLiaison@hq.dhs.gov.
  • Start production of a product related to the COVID-19 response. Contact nbeoc@max.gov for more information.

  For even more ways you can join the battle, be sure to visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) website, or reach out. And don’t forget, the VI staff team is always ready to assist!