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Press Room
VI Commits to America Recycles Pledge
Aug. 29, 2019
WASHINGTON, DC – The Vinyl Institute is pleased to announce we have officially signed the Environmental Protection Agency’s America Recycles Pledge to further our commitment that the vinyl industry will continue to increase our recycling efforts and reduce plastic waste on our planet.
Going on its 23rd year, America Recycles Day is coming up on Nov. 15. The America Recycles Pledge is specifically targeted towards U.S.-based organizations who pledge to work toward a more resilient materials economy. The EPA initiated the America Recycles Pledge on Nov. 15, 2018 as a means to bring collaborators together with a common mission to grow the country’s recycling capabilities and divert more materials from landfills.
Signing on to this pledge is just one other way to showcase that the members of VI are committed to sustainable practices. Many people don’t know how recyclable vinyl is, nor do they know about the recycling efforts underway throughout the vinyl value chain.
For example, several Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC) members have implemented takeback programs. Sika Sarnafil will recycle old vinyl membranes into new roofing membranes, and Tarkett USA recycles and reuses vinyl composite and luxury vinyl tiles that it sells in the commercial sector. And these are just a few examples of the many recycling stories we’re excited to tell.
The vinyl industry is a proponent of sustainability, and we encourage recycling and sustainable materials management within the entire vinyl value chain. Just this year, the VSC launched +Vantage Vinyl, our industry-wide sustainability initiative. With three impact categories mapped to coincide with three of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, one category we’re focused on is resource efficiency and recycling. To date the U.S. and Canadian vinyl industry recycles 1.1 billion pounds of vinyl annually. Additionally, the VSC created the Vinyl Recovery Task Force (V-Cycle) to discuss and navigate common recycling issues and determine how we can increase vinyl recycling efforts and find new markets for recycled vinyl.
By signing on to the America Recycles Pledge, we hope to showcase our industry’s dedication to recycling and to increase awareness that vinyl and PVC are recyclable, and, more importantly, it’s being recycling.
Following the 2018 America Recycles Summit, the EPA, along with 45 other organizations that signed the America Recycles Pledge last year, formed four workgroups to focus on critical action areas:
- Promote Education and Outreach
- Enhance Materials Management Infrastructure
- Strengthen Secondary Material Markets
- Enhance Measurement
We’re excited to participate in these conversations on how we can increase recycling overall as a nation. If your organization would like to take the America Recycles Pledge, you can do so here. Or if you would like to commit to recycling more in the future as an individual, you can take the #BeRecycled pledge here.