The Vinyl Institute Recognizes 36 Facilities for Outstanding Health, Safety, and Environmental Performance

WASHINGTON, D.C. November 17, 2022 – The Vinyl Institute (VI), the U.S. trade association representing manufacturers of vinyl, vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), additives, and modifiers, announced the recipients of its annual health, safety, and environmental awards. These awards are given to companies in the vinyl industry for protecting the environment and improving worker safety at manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. This year, VI recognized 36 facilities with 57 awards for outstanding performance.

These awards are based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), and facility performance according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable incidents, other regulatory permit performance, and the EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory data for air and water during the 2021 calendar year.

“The Vinyl Industry is committed not only to the health and safety of our workers but also to continual improvements in our environmental practices that keep our communities safe as well,” said VI President and CEO Ned Monroe. “Our member companies continue to make numerous investments to reduce emissions and ensure worker safety. In fact, since 1987, vinyl chloride ambient emissions have
declined by more than 86% per pound of PVC produced. And based on 2020 data, our resin and monomer producer members have an occupational injury and illness rate that is 1/6th of the OSHA recordable injury rate of all US manufacturing.”

Each year, VI proudly recognizes facilities in the PVC, EDC/VCM, plasticizer production, additive production, and chlorinated PVC compounding categories that have achieved outstanding performance in four categories: Safety Excellence, Safety Performance, Environmental Excellence, and Environmental Honor.

Safety Excellence Award
This award recognizes consistent adherence to OSHA safety regulations and recognizes plants with five or more consecutive years with no recordable incidents. The following facilities demonstrated continued outstanding performance in 2021:
– Dow Chemical, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Louisville, Kentucky (6 consecutive years of performance)

– ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (10 consecutive years of performance)

– Formosa Plastics Corporation, PVC Compounding plant, Point Comfort, Texas (11 consecutive years of performance)

– Geon Performance Solutions, PVC Compounding plant, Pasadena, Texas (5 consecutive years of performance)

– Occidental Chemical Corporation, EDC-only plant, Convent, Louisiana (5 consecutive years of performance)

– OxyChem, EDC/VCM plant, Ingleside, Texas (5 consecutive years of performance)

– Shintech Louisiana, LLC, PVC plant, Plaquemine, Louisiana (9 consecutive years of performance)

– Teknor Apex Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Brownsville, Tennessee (8 consecutive years of performance)

– Westlake Corporation, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi (6 consecutive years of performance)

– Westlake Corporation, PVC Compounding plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi (6 consecutive years of performance)

– Westlake Corporation, PVC Compounding plant, Prairie, Mississippi (6 consecutive years of performance)

– Westlake Corporation, Lake Charles South EDC-only plant, Westlake, Louisiana (6 consecutive years of performance)

– Westlake Corporation, Lake Charles South EDC/VCM plant, Westlake, Louisiana (6 consecutive years of performance)

Environmental Excellence Award
This award is based on an outstanding track record of performance for five or more consecutive years under EPA’s NESHAPs, and other environmental permit requirements. The following facilities demonstrated continued outstanding performance in 2021:
– Formosa Plastics Corporation, EDC-only plant, Point Comfort, Texas (10 consecutive years of performance)

– Formosa Plastics Corporation, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Point Comfort, Texas (11 consecutive years of performance)

– Geon Performance Solutions, PVC Compounding plant, Avon Lake, Ohio (8 consecutive years of performance)

– Geon Performance Solutions, PVC Compounding plant, Pasadena, Texas (8 consecutive years of performance)

– Geon Performance Solutions, PVC Compounding plant, Terre Haute, Indiana (8 consecutive years of performance)

– Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc., CPVC Compounding plant, Louisville, Kentucky (7 consecutive years of performance)

– Teknor Apex Company, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Fountain Inn, South Carolina (6 consecutive years of performance)

– Westlake Corporation, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi (9 consecutive years of performance)

– Westlake Corporation, PVC plant, Calvert City, Kentucky (5 consecutive years of performance)

– Westlake Corporation, PVC Compounding plant, Madison, Mississippi (6 consecutive years of performance)

– Westlake Corporation, PVC Compounding plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi (9 consecutive years of performance)

– Vestolit (Mexichem Specialty Resins, Inc.), PVC plant, Pedricktown, New Jersey (6 consecutive years of performance)

Environmental Honor Award
The criteria for this award includes emissions reduction under the NEHSAP, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), and EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for air and water. This award is presented to two plants, one in the PVC category and one in the EDC/VCM category. The facilities achieving this award for performance during 2021 were:
PVC category: Formosa Plastics Corporation, SPVC plant, Point Comfort, Texas
EDC/VCM category: Westlake Corporation, EDC/VCM plant, Lake Charles South, Westlake, Louisiana

Safety Performance Award
This award recognizes efforts to improve worker safety based upon federal OSHA recordable incidents, which are defined as occupational injury or illness resulting in medical treatment. This award, which recognizes plants with no recordable incidents for the reporting year. The following facilities demonstrated continued outstanding performance in 2021:
– Dow Chemical, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Louisville, Kentucky

– Eastman Chemical Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Texas City, Texas

– ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

– Formosa Plastics Corporation, EDC/VCM plant, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

– Formosa Plastics Corporation, PVC plant, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

– Formosa Plastics Corporation, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Point Comfort, Texas

– Geon Performance Solutions, PVC Compounding plant, Pasadena, Texas

– Geon Performance Solutions, PVC Compounding plant, St. Remi, Quebec, Canada

– Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc., PVC plant, Louisville, Kentucky

– Occidental Chemical Corporation, EDC-only plant, Convent, Louisiana

– Occidental Chemical Corporation, EDC-only plant, Geismar, Louisiana

– OxyChem, EDC/VCM plant, Ingleside, Texas

– OxyVinyls, LP, PVC plant, Deer Park, Texas

– OxyVinyls, LP, PVC plant, Pedricktown, New Jersey

– Shintech Louisiana, LLC, PVC plant, Plaquemine, Louisiana

– Shintech Louisiana, LLC, PVC plant, Addis, Louisiana

– Teknor Apex Company, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Jamestown, North Carolina

– Teknor Apex Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Brownsville, Tennessee

– Vestolit (Mexichem Specialty Resins, Inc.), PVC plant, Pedricktown, New Jersey

– Westlake Corporation, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi

– Westlake Corporation, PVC Compounding plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi

– Westlake Corporation, PVC plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi

– Westlake Corporation, PVC plant, Calvert City, Kentucky

– Westlake Corporation, EDC/VCM plant, Calvert City, Kentucky

– Westlake Corporation, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Gallman, Mississippi

– Westlake Corporation, EDC/VCM plant, Geismar, Louisiana

– Westlake Corporation, PVC plant, Geismar, Louisiana

– Westlake Corporation, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Prairie, Mississippi

– Westlake Corporation, Lake Charles South EDC-only plant, Westlake, Louisiana

– Westlake Corporation, Lake Charles South EDC/VCM plant, Westlake, Louisiana

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.