Why the Industry Needs +Vantage Vinyl, From a Certifier’s Perspective

GreenCircle Certified, LLC is proud to announce a partnership with the Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC) in its new initiative, +Vantage Vinyl™. GreenCircle developed the verification scheme which outlines the program’s goals and participation requirements. In addition, GreenCircle will act as the third-party verification body for all applicants. +Vantage Vinyl™ is an industry-wide sustainability initiative for the vinyl value chain based on criteria that includes three key impact categories: resource efficiency and recycling, health and safety, and emissions. Participants in the +Vantage Vinyl™ initiative are committed to transparency, sustainable business growth, and a sustainable future for all.

+Vantage Vinyl™ is one of the first industry-wide sustainability initiatives that engages companies across the entire vinyl value chain from raw material manufacturers and suppliers to final product manufacturers. While other industry sustainability initiatives typically focus on the final product or one subset of products and materials, +Vantage Vinyl^TM applies to all organizations in the value chain, which is essential to drive holistic continuous improvement. The +Vantage Vinyl™ initiative focuses on highlighting sustainability performance in the vinyl value chain, empowering continuous improvement, and providing verified evidence to interest groups. Participants in the +Vantage Vinyl™ initiative can confidently make verified sustainability claims that are aligned with targeted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To participate in the +Vantage Vinyl™ initiative, your company must first become a VSC member and submit a +Vantage Vinyl application to the VSC. Next, the VSC will send the application to GreenCircle, where we will create our own proposal and verification agreement with your company. All documents and information shared with GreenCircle will be confidential between your company and our auditors. After we complete our proven process, we will notify the VSC whether or not your company qualifies for +Vantage Vinyl™. GreenCircle’s verification process is unbiased, confidential, and rigorous and will assist VSC and all VSC members with meeting the sustainability goals and key performance indicators for the +Vantage Vinyl™ initiative.

This process ensures that companies participating in +Vantage Vinyl are meeting real goals to “do more with less.”  And consumers who see the +Vantage Vinyl mark can have confidence in the validity of a company’s sustainability journey.