i2M Tackles Vinyl Scrap with ReNew™
As we near the hotter months, many of us are likely looking forward to lounging by the pool. And one vinyl film manufacturer is working towards a more environmentally-friendly summer by developing sustainably produced printed vinyl pool liner material.
i2M is a manufacturer that specializes in performance and decorative films, including pool liner material, wood-grain laminates, and waterproofing membranes. Recently, they’ve developed a new way to use pre-consumer PVC/vinyl scrap material from roofing membranes and water retainment production in order to prevent it from entering the waste stream. Motivated by the understanding that there needed to be a clear pipeline for scrap to be repurposed into meaningful applications, i2M created ReNew™.
ReNew™ is a high-performance, luxury pool film that is made with 51% pre-consumer recycled content, and certified by third-party SCS Global. This is the first printed pool liner material certified to these criteria. Pool liners made with ReNew™ material have many of the same attributes as non-recycled ones – durable, aesthetically pleasing, and formatted for performance – and have been tested for weldability, chlorine, and abrasion resistance. But consumers who purchase ReNew™ have the added benefit of knowing they’ve chosen a more sustainable option.
ReNew™ will perform, look and feel like standard pool liner material, but unlike others, it will prevent approximately 110 pounds of vinyl from entering the waste stream per liner that is produced.
“We believe in making sustainability an easy choice for our customers. We are committed to making beautiful, superior products that also reduce our environmental impact for a cleaner world,” said Alex Grover, i2M President.
As for the future, i2M has a goal to produce ReNew™ material for around 5,000 liners by December 2022. This in turn would recycle more than half a million pounds of PVC, adding to the more than 1 billion pounds the U.S. and Canada currently recycle annually.
To learn more about ReNew™, click here.
