South African Vinyls Association (SAVA) Chairman Dr Claus Maurer said today at the Vinyl SA 2014 conference in Sandton, Gauteng, “SAVA’s product stewardship programme aims to reduce vinyl to landfill to 0% by the year 2030.”
Other aims of the programme include advocating the responsible use of additives and the creation of more small to medium entrepreneurs in the industry especially within the recycling sector. According to Rishi Madho, product manager of Sasol Chlora, who was also a speaker at the event, the African vinyl industry (which closely reflects the South African scenario) is dominated by vinyl used for the manufacture of PVC pipes. He also advocates PVC for use in alternate building materials especially window frames, saying there is massive growth potential for the technology on the continent.
The purpose of SAVAs existence is to work as an industry touchstone for best practices in vinyls. In the past, some unscrupulous or just ignorant manufacturers used hazardous additives such as lead, chromium and cadmium as well as unwanted plastic additives in their vinyls. These have left a legacy problem in some landfills but SAVA says it is currently working a plan to counteract the negative effect of these legacy issues. Vinyl is a 100% reusable, recyclable material and if manufactured and disposed of responsibly, has good green credentials.
“The purpose of today’s gathering,” said Maurer, “is to exchange experience to empower the industry to combat undesirable vinyls practices.”