ARLINGTON, Va., May 9, 2006 – Referring to economic, ecological and social pillars – the “three-pillar model” – on which the concept of sustainable development is supported, Tim Burns, president of the Vinyl Institute, told an audience of Chinese vinyl industry executives that the global vinyl industry takes environmental stewardship seriously.
“Workers, communities and customers demand companies act responsibly,” Burns said, and initiatives taken to meet those demands “have proven successful in building good relationships with stakeholders.”
Burns made his comments at the International Conference on China Chlor-Alkali Industry Sustainability, held April 24-26 in Beijing. The conference was organized and hosted by the World Chlorine Council (WCC), the Global Vinyl Council (GVC), the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association and the China Chlor-Alkali Industry Association. About 100 Chinese vinyl executives attended, and heard vinyl industry colleagues from around the world describe programs that have made the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) safe for workers and the environment and products made from PVC safe and economical for consumers.
Although vinyl industry officials in the United States, Europe and other countries have been sharing information with their counterparts in China’s vinyl industry for several years, this is the first time a conference has been organized with the objective of sharing global experience, communicating trends and studying “key regulatory policy issues or national policies facing the chlor-alkali and vinyl industries” affecting China and the international community, according to conference organizers.
Along with the Vinyl Institute, the U.S. was represented at the conference by the Chlorine Chemistry Council and VI member Occidental Chemical. Other international organizations to address the conference included the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers, the Asia Pacific Vinyl Network, and the Vinyl Environmental Council, based in Japan. Officials from the Chinese government’s environmental and workforce safety agencies also spoke at the conference, and members of China’s chemical industry news media covered it.
Burns also talked about technological advances made in the U.S. vinyl industry’s production processes since the 1970s to make the industry workplace safer and healthier. He addressed several key issues the industry has tackled due to public concerns, including the replacement of stabilizers such as lead and cadmium in the production of pipe, siding and windows; the replacement of phthalates with other plasticizers; vinyl recycling; vinyl’s value to society through its use in pipes to carry clean water in developing communities; and industry efforts to ensure durable, energy-efficient, low-maintenance, affordable housing.
Frank Borrelli, VI’s technical director, outlined changes made in U.S. vinyl facilities and processes since the 1970s, and the steady decline in the amount of residual vinyl chloride monomer (RVCM) levels in PVC resins and products since then. The industry has gone from an estimated 200 parts per million (ppm) RVCM in resin more than 30 years ago to levels well below those needed to be certified by NSF International for pipes that carry drinking water.
In fact, Borrelli said, U.S. resin manufacturers have routinely achieved a 1 ppm RVCM level in resin that is used in PVC pipe and fittings, which accounts for about 50 percent of the PVC market by volume. Resins used for food packaging typically contain less than that. When food packaging was tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), all of the samples from U.S. products fell below the 10 parts-per-billion (ppb) threshold for VCM levels the FDA proposed in 1986. In fact, most were below 5 ppb, or 50 percent lower than the proposed standard. “Reduction of monomer to these levels assures a safe workplace for producing products with vinyl resin and safe products for consumers,” Borrelli said.
Brigitte Dero, secretary general of the European Stabiliser Producers Association, focused on the status of stabilizers in the industry, particularly on the movement away from heavy metals. Dero said that in Europe, the Voluntary Commitment and Vinyl 2010 initiatives have so far resulted in a 20 percent decrease in the use of lead, while in the U.S., it is virtually only used in electrical cable insulation. In Australia and South Africa, Dero added, producers are switching to calcium zinc (CaZn) and organic-based stabilizers.
Reflecting on the significance of the conference, Burns said, “It was important for the global vinyl and chlorine industries to be in China to share information on best industry practices with the Chinese vinyl and chlorine industries. It was also significant that representatives of China’s environmental and workforce agencies participated in the meeting and made presentations. This is important for China’s sustainable business development going forward.”
Also noting that China’s chlor-alkali industry executives announced they planned to have a similar conference in 2008, Burns said, “I applaud them for planning to continue this kind of global information exchange.”
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Founded in 1982, the Vinyl Institute is a national, independent trade association representing the leading manufacturers of vinyl plastics, as well as makers of vinyl feedstocks, additives, and film and sheet products. VI is located at 1300 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209. On the Internet: www.vinylinfo.org.