Successful Symposium “Affordable building and living”

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The AGPU Symposium “Affordable building and living” was held in Cologne two weeks ago. Around 20 participants made use of this expert event to take the chance to talk to the three speakers after their presentations, as well as to enter into discussion with the other participants about future prospects and possible approaches involving innovative construction materials. The symposium was organized by AGPU and was jointly financed with VinylPlus, as part of a communication project.

The presentation given by AGPU Managing Director Thomas Hülsmann is already available for download in the PVC Wiki. Likewise, you can find the whole program and an overview of the speakers at the event. A documentation of the symposium is currently being prepared.

The city of Düsseldorf permits funding of PVC windows

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The city of Düsseldorf has recently agreed on a set of reworked guidelines on the funding of measures for the renovation and modernisation of buildings within the capital city of the federal state, as part of the funding program “Eco-friendly living and working in Düsseldorf.” Under point 5 “construction materials”, specifications for materials are laid down by the Environmental Office of the city. According to these specifications, PVC windows will now also be included in funding programs, as long as the manufacturer can provide evidence that at least 60 percent recycled PVC has been used in the manufacturing process.

The acceptance of PVC into the funding guidelines represents a great success for the industry, even if the hurdle has been set very high with the requirement of 60 percent recycled material. The fact that PVC windows are now for the first time being funded in Düsseldorf is renewed proof that the intensive lobbying of the AGPU and its partners has paid off. This successful step has now been achieved thanks to numerous rounds of discussion with local decision makers. In making this change, the city of Düsseldorf is following a trend started by a number of other cities and local authorities, to amend their guidelines and once again permit the inclusion of PVC.  However, we are not amused about these funding guidelines, as PE, PP and PUR windows are also being funded although they have no market relevance and they contain no recycled materials at all!

German Federal Government: No Bonus for Wood as a Building Material

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According to the German Federal Government, wood as a building material still needs to tap into its own market potential in competition with other building materials. In its response (18/9322) to a minor interpellation launched by the German parliamentary group Alliance ’90/The Greens (18/9156), the government explains that it therefore does not plan to introduce a national wood strategy for Germany such as that used in Sweden. It goes on to state that although it is currently checking how the use of renewable raw materials can be advanced in order to contribute towards climate protection, it believes that building materials should also be able to tap into their own market potential without any financial support.

This statement pleased the manufacturers of plastic windows given that in the past, associations have increasingly called for subsidies for „wood as a particularly sustainable material“.

 

The Soft PVC Campaign: New Advertisements within Next Months

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The Soft PVC Communications Campaign by AGPU Media continues with two online advertisements on the websites of the business magazine brand eins and the architecture magazine Detail in September. There will be classic print ads within next months as well. For the first time, the new “PVC stays tight” motif with pink rain boots for children will be used to communicate with target groups.

Are you part of the PVC value chain and want Soft PVC products to remain the products of choice for deciders in the future? Then support the current Soft PVC campaign as a sponsor! Need more information? AGPU Managing Director Thomas Hülsmann is looking forward to your feedback.

The Olympic Champions Received a PVC Sculpture

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Alongside their gold, silver and bronze medals, the successful athletes at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro also received an additional gift. For the first time, the Olympians on the podium were presented with a sculpture of the official Rio 2016 logo instead of the traditional bouquet of flowers. In its issue published on 14th August, the „Hamburger Morgenpost“ newspaper told its readers more about this sculpture. According to the article, the sculpture was created by the Brazilian designer Fred Gelli and depicts the citizens of Rio holding hands and celebrating. The three colours (yellow, blue and green) were chosen to represent the nature surrounding the city. The small works of art are not only made of resin and polystone but also, and above all, PVC.

Online Infographic: PVC in Our Cities

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An infographic on „PVC in our cities“ was recently produced as part of the current VinylPlus communication projects and has now been published on the website of the European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates (ECPI). The clear and colourful graphics provide consumers with information on the use of PVC in everyday life, namely in which areas the plastic is used, why it is used in precisely these areas and the benefits that the use of PVC products can provide for consumers.

The communication project was managed by ECPI and co-founded by VinylPlus.

http://www.plasticisers.org/where-pvc-is-used

Current summer issue of STARKE SEITEN and BLITZ-INFO

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The summer edition of Starke Seiten has been mailed to 27,000 addresses, mostly executives from different target groups, and to the PVC industry and their value chains in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. With part of the print run, AGPU also sends along BLITZ-INFO (which appears three times a year) containing current information about the sustainable development of PVC along with a letter personally addressed to over 6,000 decision-makers in politics, management, industry and trade.

In case you, too, would like to use STARKE SEITEN for your communication needs, we will gladly tell you about the advertising options. For example, we can send along our 2016 media data packet, which includes important dates and key topic listings.

The „Best Practice for the Environment“ Initiative Is Launched

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Both the energetic restoration of residential and industrial buildings and the deconstruction of properties produce a great deal of building waste. When it comes to disposing of this waste in an environmentally friendly manner, material separation and mechanical recycling are currently considered to be the best approach. The „Best Practice for the Environment“ initiative was created in light of this fact. The main aim of the initiative is to identify exemplary construction projects in the German federal states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia that involve the recycling and re-use of disused PVC building materials such as windows or floor coverings. The joint initiative created by Rewindo and AGPU has already successfully attracted the support of a multitude of institutions, associations and companies.

It has now been officially launched and plans are in place for it to continue until autumn 2017. At the end of the initiative, a documentation with reference projects will be produced.

New AGPU Activity Report for 2015/2016 Is Now Available

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In perfect timing with the General Meeting and round-table event in Bonn, the new AGPU Activity Report 2015/2016 has been published. The report, which is available in German and English, contains information about of the work carried out by the PVC experts and the hot topics of the past year. You can receive the Activity Report in a printed edition as well as in a digital version. Please e-mail us if you are interested to get our new report.

Press Release: Change in the AGPU Board

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Two weeks ago, the AGPU sent out a press release on the occasion of this year’s General Meeting.  Alongside a statement from board Chairman Dr. Axel Bruder (RENOLIT), the press release also informs about a successful transition in the AGPU board, among other topics. In January 2016, Dr. Zdenek Hruska left the AGPU board and took a position at ECVM, the European PVC manufacturer’s association. Uwe Dietsch (INOVYN) was newly elected to the board by AGPU member companies.