PVC | SUSTAINABILITY
and remove legacy additives from PVC products. This built on work the organisation has been carrying out for a number of years, and according to its annual review progress was positive along all three paths during 2024. Effective PVC collection lies at the base of
recycling work, because without collection there is nothing to recycle. VinylPlus’ Röber explained waste collection “is a key vulnerability of every circular value chain”. But she explained that “EPR schemes with the right incentives can increase collection and support recycling.” In 2024 VinylPlus’ long-term partner Rewindo, based in Bonn, Germany increased the number of its recycling points and now has more than 90. This increased collection capacity and expanded partnerships helped to offset the fall in construc- tion volumes to some extent. In Poland, although the construction market fell
too, there were some successes in increasing the partnerships for recycling, and Metal-Plast in- creased its low-cost recycling programme by 166%. In the Netherlands, the European Plastics Pipes
and Fitting Organisation has worked with the British Plastics Federation’s Pipes Group on a study to understand how materials flow through the pipes industry. This is designed to lay the founda- tions for future collection, sorting and processing of plastic pipe waste. It also looks at the value chain including the costs of organising and financing.
Better collection A German pilot was launched to increase the amount of PVC flooring collected both as scraps and as post-consumer waste. The scheme involved
two wholesalers setting up collection points in a number of their depots. This recovered 120 tonnes of PVC flooring which was ground in to particles. VinlyPlus said that this approach shows that using transport, which would otherwise return empty, to back-haul waste from wholesalers, can be an effective tool in waste PVC flooring recycling. Other highlights in the flooring sector were trials
to separate flooring made from PVC containing plasticisers. Here AI-based decision-making systems produced promising results. A separate study is also underway. This is examining the use of super-critical CO2
or dissolution techniques to
extract legacy additives from PVC formulations cost-effectively. Meanwhile, in Italy, a memorandum of under- standing was signed between 14 collectors to develop co-operative approaches to PVC collec- tion and recycling. Plastic Consult carried out three studies on the PVC industry in the country. The first considered the state of the PVC supply chain; the second looked at the limits to the amount of rPVC that could be consumed in Italy; and the third explored the most effective applications for rPVC from building demolition.
Medical developments The medical sector is a large market for PVC. In France, recycling single use PVC medical devices such as tubing and masks into new products for healthcare settings such as Lyon-based Gerflor’s homogeneous flooring components. In 2024, 23 hospitals were part of the VinylPlus
Med programme with eight more due to come online this year. In November 2024, De Loods De
BECAUSE FACTS MATTER. 100
80 % SHOR T E R C L E A NING T IME NO CAKING, NO D E AD S PA C E % S A F E O P E R AT I O N
E X PLO S I ON-PROO F D E S I G N I N A C C O R D A N C E WI T H EQUIPMENT CAT EG O R Y 1 / 3D
< 2 °C T EMPER ATURE INC R E ASE / MINUTE
zeppelin-systems.com
THE CONTAINER MIXER CMQ FROM ZEPPELIN SYSTEMS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50
