VinylPlus communication project: AGPU published new technical papers

AGPU has brought the VinylPlus communication project on sustainable public procurement to a successful end by publishing two further technical papers. The November issue of the German environmental magazine „Umwelt Magazin“ contains a double-page article on the role of PVC within the topic of energy and resource efficiency. This technical paper is also available as a special publication that can be requested from the AGPU office.

Last week, the November issue of the German public procurement magazine „Kommunaler Beschaffungsdienst“ (KBD) will contain a technical paper on PVC recycling. AGPU was also given the opportunity to create the front page design for this issue showing hands with recycled PVC window material.

New Media Data for STARKE SEITEN is available

AGPU has been publishing „STARKE SEITEN“ since 1998. This high-quality print magazine in A3 format is aimed at top decision-makers and contains articles focusing on the stories of innovative PVC products and their manufacturers. STARKE SEITEN currently boasts a circulation of 26,500 copies and is published three times a year. Part of its print run is sent out together with the publication „BLITZ-INFO“, which is also published three times a year.

The spring 2017 issue will come out on 20th February, in perfect timing with the EuroShop retail trade fair in Düsseldorf, and will focus on the topic of trade and the retail market. The summer issue (due to be published on 19th June 2017) will shine the spotlight on the field of sustainable construction and the winter issue (due to be published on 9th October 2017) will explore the topic of vinyl and health care.

You can find out more about the magazine by referring to its current media data. As always, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or queries. We’re happy to help!

Ready for registration: PVC Workshop programme has now been confirmed

The programme for the upcoming PVC Winter Workshop of AGPU and PlasticsEurope Germany at the Collegium Leoninum hotel in Bonn on 10th January 2017 has now been confirmed and was sent out together with the registration documents for the event last week. The agenda of the workshop will include „Toys – Safety and Environmental Labels“, „Controlled Loop Recycling Based on the Example of Plastic Window Profiles“ and „Responsible use of PVC according to Cradle to Cardle principles“.

By the end of last week, around 30 participants had already signed up to attend the event, which will traditionally be kicked off by a networking dinner hosted by AGPU on the evening before the workshop. Please note: Alongside the workshop programme and the registration document, AGPU has also sent out an overview of the allocations of rooms reserved for the event, which are available with special conditions until 2nd December 2016.

VinylPlus Sustainability Forum 2017: „Towards Circular Economy“

Taking the theme of ‘Towards Circular Economy’, the fifth VinylPlus Sustainability Forum will examine the key sustainability challenges for PVC when representatives from the entire industry value chain meet in Berlin, Germany, on May 10th and 11th 2017.

Organised by VinylPlus, the European PVC industry sustainability programme, the 2017 Forum will focus on sustainability and delivering durable solutions for PVC within the high-profile context of the European Commission’s Circular Economy Package. It will also feature sessions with EU authorities on Circular Economy policies, both regionally and Europe-wide.

The 2017 Forum is a ‘not-to-be-missed’ event for VinylPlus members and their stakeholders to share insight on potentially growing opportunities for PVC to contribute to a stronger circular economy where resources are used in a more sustainable way.

Key topics will include the contribution of the vinyl industry to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global vinyl market and industry initiatives.
Featuring case studies, success stories and panel talks, the comprehensive programme will also include discussions on eco-design and innovation concepts, including a look at better lifestyles with smart PVC products.

Brigitte Dero, VinylPlus General Manager, says: “The Circular Economy is currently very high on the European political agenda. Important decisions will be taken in the context of the Circular Economy Package, which will have an impact on the plastics industry as a whole in the future.

„Through the VinylPlus Voluntary Commitment, we are moving the European PVC industry towards a Circular Economy and have already demonstrated significant progress and achievements towards our sustainability goals. Once again, our annual event provides a valuable opportunity for participants to collaborate, share best practice and gain positively from collective input.”

VinylPlus is the renewed ten-year Voluntary Commitment of the European PVC industry. The programme establishes a long-term framework for the sustainable development of the PVC industry by tackling a number of critical challenges in the EU-28, Norway and Switzerland.

A New Consultic Study on the Flow of Plastic Material in Germany

Recycling and energy recovery of used plastics have been carried out on a very high level in Germany and are increasingly becoming an important economic factor. This conclusion is based on the results of the recently published study on the „Production, Processing and Recycling of Plastics in Germany in 2015“.

The main figures of the study for the year 2015 reveal that a total of around 18.5 million tons of plastic were produced in Germany last year. The study also states that 12.1 million tons were used to manufacture plastic products, adjusted according to imports and exports. The amount of plastic waste produced in the same year was 5.9 million tons, more than 99 percent of which was recovered as follows: 45 percent in mechanical recycling, one percent in feedstock recycling and 53 perfect in energy recovery. This study therefore yet again proves that Germany’s established market structures in the field of plastics recycling are functioning successfully and are fit for the future. This also explains the significant increase in material recycling alongside a drop in energy recovery at the same time.

The investigation, which is known as the „Consultic study“ in the industry and in politics, is conducted every two years and has been providing reliable facts and figures on the production, processing and recycling of plastics since 1998. It is conducted on behalf of the BKV Platform for Plastics and Recycling, PlasticsEurope Germany, the German Federal Association of Secondary Raw Materials and Waste Disposal (Bundesverband Sekundärrohstoffe und Entsorgung e.V. – bvse), the Association of Plastics and Rubber Machinery of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) and the German Industry Association for Plastics Packaging and Films (IK).

AGPU has been published a Consultic study for PVC material in cooperation with PlasticsEurope Germany and the BKV at greater intervals for many years. By doing so, it provides the PVC industry with information on the flow of its specific material based on the same methodology.

THE VINYL EDGE: English Version of STARKE SEITEN is available now

Last week, over 26,500 copies of the autumn issue of the German magazine STARKE SEITEN are sent to readers, mainly to decision-makers from various target groups and to recipients in the PVC industry and its value chain in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. AGPU is distributing a significant part  together with BLITZ-INFO, which summarises up-to-date information on the sustainable development of PVC  to over 6000 decision-makers in the fields of politics, administration, industry and  trade together with a personal letter.

In perfect timing with the start of the K 2016 trade fair THE VINYL EDGE, an English version of STARKE SEITEN that was published the first time and distributed to stand visitors by the contributors of this special publication.

If you would also like to use STARKE SEITEN or THE VINYL EDGE for your communication activities, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to send you more information.

New Brochure: „Imagine How Hard Life Would Be Without Soft PVC“

Within the scope of this year’s Soft PVC Communication Campaign, the steering committee of contributors of the campaign has decided to update the Soft PVC brochure, which was first published back in 2011.

The newly printed edition of the brochure is now available in English and German with a reversible cove. You can order it from the AGPU office. In addition, there is a digital version in PDF format as well. You can download both language versions from the AGPU website or the PVC-WIKI.

https://www.vinylplus.de/infocenter/broschueren

THE INOVYN Awards: Chemson Wins the Innovation Award for 3D Vinyl

The winners of this year’s INVOYN Awards have been announced and the best innovations in the PVC industry were recently presented at an award ceremony held during the K 2016 Trade Fair in Düsseldorf. A total of 72 projects from all over the world were submitted to the jury of experts for consideration.

The main award in the category of Product Innovation was presented to the AGPU member company Chemson Polymer-Additive in Arnoldstein, Austria, for 3D Vinyl, its filament for 3D printing. According to the company, 3D Vinyl offers all of the benefits of PVC and is in addition more cost-efficient than other filaments on the market, as well as being particularly ideal for use in the industrial sector of manufacturing, for example the production of prototypes and final components.

The other winners of the INOVYN Awards 2016 are:

CATEGORY – INNOVATION

Gold Winner
Chemson Pacific Pty Ltd, Australia, for its project “3D-Vinyl for Advanced Industrial 3D Printing.”

Silver Winner
Beaulieu International Group, Belgium, for its project “BerryAlloc vinyl planks and tiles: quicker to install with DreamClick locking system.”

Bronze Winner
The Aliaxis Group, France, for its project “Shhhh! Quieter Chutunic branch pipe for high-rise buildings.”


CATEGORY – SUSTAINABILITY
Winner
Axion Consulting, UK, for its project “RecoMed – a ‘healthy’ way to increase sustainable PVC recycling.”

Special Prize
Benecke Kaliko AG, Germany, for its project “Dynactiv Power – energy-producing reservoir cover.”

Special Prize
Aarhus School of Architecture, Denmark, for its project “Reuse = Waste Reduce: sustainable urban agriculture with reuse of PVC.”
CATEGORY – INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
Winner
Bolon AB, Sweden, for its project “Bolon By You – woven vinyl flooring with an accent: yours.”

https://www.inovyn.com/news/inovyn-awards-2016–winners-highlight-continued-diversity-of-innovation-with-vinyls/

AgPR Gets Involved in the „Best Practice“ Campaign

The „Best Practice for the Environment“ campaign, which was launched this summer, has welcomed a new member to its group of initiators. Alongside AGPU and Rewindo, the German Association for the Recycling of PVC Floor Coverings (AgPR) is now one of the organisers behind the campaign. The aim of the „Best Practice“ campaign is to identify exemplary building projects in the German federal states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia that involve the recycling and re-use of used PVC construction products such as windows or floor coverings. The initiative is aimed at housing, window construction and demolition companies, as well as constructors of public buildings, and will run until autumn 2017. The „Best Practice“ projects will then be compiled in a project documentation.

„Alongside scrap windows, tarpaulins and pipes made of PVC, vinyl flooring also plays an important role in the material recycling of construction products“, explains the AgPR Managing Director, Dr Jochen Zimmermann. The AgPR runs a central recycling facility for used PVC flooring in Troisdorf. In 2015 alone, the facility recycled over 2500 tons of waste material, a large amount of which was then re-used.

New Advertisement Design: „PVC stays tight“

The steering committee of the soft PVC communications campaign by AGPU Media has developed a new advertisement design featuring the slogan „PVC hält dicht” (“PVCstays tight“). The design, which was launched on the Brand Eins website at the beginning of September, takes readers to a special landing page when they click on the banner ad. The new advertisement design will also be published in the printed October edition of the business magazine and plans are already in place to use it in other publications.

Would you like to receive more information on the current soft PVC communications campaign? If so, please contact the AGPU Managing Director, Thomas Hülsmann, and Ms Ursula Losem, who look forward to hearing from you.