Vinyl Institute joins Cyclyx Consortium

Cyclyx International, a Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based consortium with the goal to increase the recycling rate of plastic from 10 percent to 90 percent globally, has announced the addition of the Washington D.C.-based Vinyl Institute (VI).

Founded in 1982, the VI is a trade organization representing the leading manufacturers in the vinyl industry. In the United States along, Cyclyx says this industry accounts for around 3,000 manufacturing facilities, upwards of 350,000 employees and a $54 billion economic valuation.

RELATED: Revinylize Recycling Collaborative launches in select markets

“The Vinyl Institute is proud to partner with Cyclyx to work towards our common goal of increasing postconsumer PVC (polyvinyl chloride) recycling,” says Ned Monroe, president and CEO of the VI. “Tapping into the Cyclyx Consortium’s 10to90 network will allow more postconsumer PVC to be recycled. We look forward to collaborating on new ways to innovate recycling.”

As an advocate of vinyl, the VI says it has coined it “the material for life.” The organization adds that vinyl, discovered in the 1920s, is used today in building and construction, water delivery, medicine, transportation and more. In a release, the VI says that while it has documented the numerous benefits and longevity of vinyl, it recognizes “there is a false narrative surrounding the recycling of this plastic material.”

Not only can this material be recycled, the VI says, but a significant portion of it is being recycled. The organization claims that 1.1 billion pounds of PVC are recycled annually in the U.S. and Canada. The VI explains that recycling efforts can be seen firsthand by, for example, manufacturers of PVC who have been diverting preconsumer scrap from landfills, as well as the roofing industry recycling large volumes of postconsumer material.

The VI says a big focus for it and the vinyl industry is the recycling of installation scrap, postuse scrap and end-of-life materials, specifically in the healthcare and construction sectors. As a member of the Cyclyx Consortium, the VI says it will look to help the industry achieve its goal of recycling 160 million pounds of postconsumer PVC by 2025.

RELATED: Trinity Rail joins Cyclyx plastic recycling effort

“We are excited about the Vinyl Institute joining our Cyclyx Consortium,” says Ron Sherga, vice president of membership engagement at Cyclyx. “Having vinyl represented in our consortium allows for increased, open communication for co-developing strategies and programs towards a mutual goal—increasing the recyclability of plastic waste.

“Along with the inclusion of our 10to90 mission brand, we look forward to working together to collect more vinyl materials from a wide range of industries, divert these materials from landfill and, ultimately, increase recycling across the vinyl collective. The commitment and dedication towards circularity are already in place with the Vinyl Institute, and together with Cyclyx, the collaboration will amplify the sustainable efforts.”