Vinyl Institute Grants $332,000 to Boost PVC Recycling Initiatives

The Vinyl Institute, which represents manufacturers of vinyl, announced its fourth round of funding under the Viability recycling grant program on June 20. Recipients of this funding round include the Chemical Fabrics and Films Association (CFFA), Every Shelter and the University of Michigan.

The University of Michigan will use the funds to build on research in advanced recycling of PVC through electrochemical conversion of PVC. The electrochemical solvent-based technology has potential both as a dechlorination step for mixed plastic scenarios and for difficult to recycle multilayer products like wire and cable and luxury vinyl tile flooring.

CFFA, a global trade association representing manufacturers of fabrics and film made from polymers, will use the grant to continue building infrastructure for its vinyl roof recycling program.

Every Shelter is a nonprofit organization that repurposes vinyl billboards to provide shelter for refugees in displacement camps in the Middle East and East Africa. The organization will use the funds to develop a proof of concept for a business model to repurpose used vinyl billboards for disaster relief victims in the United States.

Program funding comes from PVC resin producers Formosa, Oxy, Shintech, and Westlake. With this latest round, the total funding committed to the program has now exceeded $2 million, according to the Vinyl Institute.

The Vinyl Institute launched Viability to advance recycle post-consumer PVC recycling, said Ned Monroe, president and CEO of the Vinyl Institute.

“The three newest recipients of funding are representative of a broad spectrum of opportunities to keep this valuable material out of the landfill and in productive use in society,” he said in a news release.