The Vinyl Institute (VI), a U.S. trade association representing the leading manufacturers of vinyl, announced the formation of VIABILITY, a first-of-its-kind, industry-wide recycling grant program aimed at accelerating post-consumer PVC recycling across the country. The grant program will make available up to $1 million in funds each year over the next three years from four PVC resin manufacturers in the U.S. (Formosa, Oxy, Shintech, and Westlake).
“Each year, more than 1.1 billion pounds of vinyl material is recycled in the U.S. and Canada. However, post-consumer material accounts for less than a fifth of that total,” said Ned Monroe, president and CEO of the Vinyl Institute. “We can do better, and we will. With VIABILITY, we are demonstrating VI’s commitment to help the industry reach its goal of increasing post-consumer recycling volume to 160 million pounds by 2025.”https://unsplash.com/photos/6ZGEQb-CxIo
Individual grants issued through VIABILITY are available to qualifying industry collaborations such as trade associations, material recovery facilities, construction and demolition waste facilities, recyclers, or colleges and universities in amounts up to $500,000. The funds may be used for the purchase of equipment, process investments, research and development, educational programs, and program management that supports long-lasting and sustainable recycling of vinyl products. A seven-member grant committee of the Vinyl Institute will choose recipients of the grants.
The first round of grant applications is due on March 1, 2023. The Vinyl Institute will announce the awarding of grants no later than 60 days after a grant application deadline.
“Vinyl has and continues to be an integral part of our daily lives – from the pipes that deliver clean drinking water in our communities, to the windows and siding on our homes, to the floors in our kitchen, to the cars we drive and the packaging for the food we buy at the grocery store,” Monroe added. “It is our responsibility to identify pathways to grow PVC recycling. VIABILITY is a deliberate and compelling step in that direction. We are eager to identify worthy vinyl recycling programs.”