Call for PVC resin producers to achieve Best Environmental Practice PVC accreditation

The Vinyl Council of Australia has advised PVC product manufacturers supplying the Australian market to ensure Best Environmental Practice accreditation if they are to meet environmental procurement requirements.

In 2010, the Green Building Council Australia (GBCA) developed its Best Practice Guidelines for PVC manufacturing. Under GBCA’s Green Star building rating tool, product suppliers of common PVC applications need to provide a third-party verification certificate that their products meet these Guidelines.

The Vinyl Council of Australia issues a Best Environmental Practice (BEP) PVC licence mark and provides an online register of PVC product manufacturers that are confirmed as meeting the Guidelines’ required stringent compliance conditions.

A key aspect is verifying resin used in the product has met specific ‘best practice’ manufacturing standards to reduce environmental, health and safety impacts. Comprehensive documentary evidence is required from the resin suppliers as part of the conformance assessment. It is sometimes difficult for the product manufacturer to obtain this information from upstream suppliers and some resin producers are unwilling to share sensitive manufacturing documentation.

Sophi MacMillan, Vinyl Council of Australia Chief Executive, clarified: “If major PVC resin producers around the world secured accreditation themselves, they can then pass this certification to their customers, rather than reams of documentation, greatly facilitating their customers’ product verification process.

“This not only allows product manufacturers to identify sources of compliant resin more readily, but it also significantly speeds up the Best Practice PVC verification process for the product manufacturer.”

The Vinyl Council’s online register covers a wide range of BEP PVC licenced construction products manufactured in a range of countries. Existing categories cover flooring, resilient wall coverings, pipes & fittings, PVC duct systems, conduit/fittings, fencing, cable, permanent formwork, and blinds/textiles.

Accredited PVC manufacturers have undertaken a vigorous, third-party assessment process required to verify they meet the Guidelines for Best Practice manufacturing of PVC. The Vinyl Council then vets the certificates and records the products, suppliers, and certificate validity on an online register.

MacMillan added: “These accredited resin producers would have the opportunity to market their resins as environmentally preferable PVC. They may also be recognised by other procurement programmes and certification schemes operating in other countries as a demonstration of ‘going beyond regulatory compliance’.”