What Makes Vinyl a Sustainable Material?

Vinyl contributes to all aspects of the ESG (environmental, social, governance) model in a variety of ways. Keep reading to find out how, and how +Vantage Vinyl™ can help you tell your products compelling sustainability story. Download this page as a printable PDF here.

Environmental performance.

• Reduces CO2 footprint ➔ 57% of resin feedstock is derived from salt¹
• Reduces product transportation costs ➔ light weight²
• Reduces energy use in buildings ➔ thermal insulating and sunlight reflective properties³
• Reduces product replacement frequency ➔ durable and non-corrosive⁴
• Reduces waste to the landfill ➔ 1.1+ billion pounds recycled annually in the U.S.⁵

Socially responsible.
Our industry enjoys a proven track-record of innovation. We continue to reduce our environmental impact and ensure the health and safety of our workers and our communities. For example:

• Superior worker health and safety track record ➔ 33 resin manufacturing facilities with zero OSHA recordable incidents in 2019 and seven facilities with 5 or more consecutive years of zero OSHA recordable incidents.
• Community Engagement ➔ Long-standing participation in community advisory panels and employee-led volunteer and donation initiatives at community centers, homeless shelters, food banks, and schools.
• Frontline Support ➔ Many manufacturers are donating supplies, increasing production, and retooling to produce PPE and other medical supplies needed during the COVID19 pandemic.

Economic value.
Vinyl is a sustainable choice and that means good business. For example:

• Jobs ➔ The U.S. vinyl industry is comprised of more than 2,900 facilities, employing more than 350,000 people, with an economic value of $54B.
• Cost Savings ➔ Long service life of durable vinyl products like roofing, vinyl siding, and PVC pipe means low life cycle costs.

+Vantage Vinyl + Your Business.

Creating Customer Preference for Your Vinyl Products
The Vinyl Sustainability Council launched the +Vantage Vinyl™ brand to tell the compelling story of today’s versatile, durable, and sustainable vinyl material. It is the material of choice for a wide range of applications from piping that delivers clean water to roofing that protects the building interior to blood bags that help protect the nation’s blood supply.

Customers prefer sustainable products.
Research shows that customers and the marketplace are rewarding companies that have strategies to address the environmental, social, and economic aspects of sustainability.⁶ Sustainability planning is just good business. So why go it alone? Join us.

Help us power the vinyl sustainability brand.
+Vantage Vinyl is the industry leading brand that verifies your commitment to sustainable business practices.

Brand Power: +Vantage Vinyl signals to customers that buying from you is a sustainable choice.

What you get
When your company contributes to +Vantage Vinyl goals and key performance indicators you get:

• Framework: Access to an industry-proven process to track, verify, and advance your sustainability efforts.
• Marketing: Use of the +Vantage Vinyl name, trademark, images, and intellectual property to set your company apart.
• Research: Access to information to help you advance continuous improvement efforts in the top three impact areas identified by stakeholders: emissions, resource efficiency & recycling, and health and safety.
• Collaboration: Access to industry leading task forces for brainstorming
  and sharing best practices and lessons learned.
• Results and Reporting: Use of benchmarking data to identify where your
  company excels and where to focus.

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^1-42013 Role of PVC Resins in Sustainability ANTEC paper
⁵2017 Tarnell Company Vinyl Recycling Report; 2019 VI Member Survey
⁶2016 Global Sustainable Investment Review