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Sophi MacMillan

Sophi MacMillan

Monday, 15 May 2023 22:37

PVC AUS 2024 Speakers

PVC AUS 2024 Speakers

PVC AUS 2024 will feature a range of local and international expert speakers on various key themes and topics across the industry.

 

Check out the key confirmed speakers below!

 

Eddie Kok

OPIS, a Dow Jones Company

Executive Director - Chemical Market Analytics

Presentation: "PVC Market Outlook - Shifting Trends and Disruptors That Will Define the Market Over the Next Decade"

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Karen Greaves

Lendlease

National Sustainability Manager

Presentation: "Circular Communities and Design of Cities"

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Eddie is currently the Sr. Director in the Inorganic Group, Asia, at IHS Chemical. He has responsibility in managing a team of analysts and product experts in Asia that provide market coverage and analyses on the chlor-alkali and vinyls industry in the region. Eddie has a good grasp on the global chlor-alkali and vinyls sector dynamics and is the go-to person for data and market intelligence in Asia. In his current role, Eddie has worked on numerous chlor-alkali and vinyls projects around the Asia-Pacific region, providing analytical and planning support to client. He is a regular speaker at the World Petrochemicals Conference in Houston.

Eddie has over 20 years of working experience in the chemical industry, holding various responsibilities, ranging from regional sales & marketing, business development to product management role. Eddie received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Campbell University, North Carolina in 1988. 

Karen is the National Sustainability Manager for the Communities business at Lendlease. She has undertaken studies in photovoltaic and solar energy engineering, environmental economics and architecture.

In addition to helping the Communities business achieve Lendlease’s ambitious carbon targets of net zero for Scope 1 and 2 by 2025 and absolute zero for Scope 1, 2 and 3 by 2040, Karen is actively driving the development and implementation of the Circular Economy Strategy at Yarrabilba.  

Ashton Bishop

Step Change

Chief Executive Officer

Presentations: "Predatory Strikes Back" and "Next Horizon"

Ashton Bishop

David Baggs

Global GreenTag International

Chief Executive Officer

Presentation: "The Future Circularity of PVC"

David Baggs Photo 1

Ashton has spent over 20 years working internationally on some of the world’s biggest brands, running million-dollar campaigns for billion-dollar brands specialising in Predatory Marketing — pinpointing how brands can grow by outsmarting their competitors. He’s a business owner and serial entrepreneur, always challenging, often controversial, and always focused on what gets results.

Ashton’s path to the stage was a somewhat unusual one. After graduating with a commerce/law degree, he turned his hand to street performing, TV presenting, stand-up comedy, film directing, and even literally ran away with the circus. Now that he has found his niche, he uses these past life skills to develop presentations that are a mix of theory, workshop, and Whose Line Is It Anyway — always relevant, topical, and entertaining.

Ashton has won the coveted Speaker of the Year Award from the world’s #1 CEO network three times. He has received film awards, guest-lectured at leading universities, won creative and strategic recognition from his peers, and was instrumental in developing Australia’s first mobile app. 

A renowned sustainability and materials expert, a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects and recently named as a Green Star Champion by the Green Building Council of Australia, David has led Global GreenTag International to become one of the most advanced product certification services and green label marks in the world, particularly for the sustainable building and design industries. 

As a co-founder of Global GreenTag as a certification business in 2010, David also served as Program Director of the Global GreenTagCertTM Product Certification Program, until May 2023, developing it to become a leading ‘Beyond LCA’ based product ecolabel and Certification Mark that has since championed the work of progressive manufacturers and supported the advancement and uptake of healthy, ethical and environmentally conscious products throughout Australia and globally. 

Voted one of Australia’s Top 50 Green Leaders and Top 100 Sustainability Leaders Globally, David is also a multi-award winning, green building architect, a GBCA Materials Expert Panel member and Past President of the Australian LCA Society. 

Craig Rispin

Future Trends Group

Futurist

Presentation: "The Future of Your Vinyl Industry"

Craig Rispin Photo 

Kurek Ashley

Success international

Speaker

Presentation: "The Transformer"

Kurek Ashley photo 

Craig Rispin is one of the world’s leading futurists -  he is an expert in emerging business, people and technology trends – and how companies can profit from them.

Craig’s keynotes and strategic planning are powered by Artificial Intelligence research of over 1 million data sources - revealing the future of any industry or major topic. 

He has over 35 years of experience working where the future has been created – with some of the most innovative organisations in the world.

Kurek is recognized as one of the premier experts in personal and professional development, self-discovery and peak performance.

For over 30 years, Fortune 500 companies and major corporations around the world, such as Apple, The Australian Royal Airforce and Carlton United Brewery, have hired Kurek to teach them tactical success strategies that have produced awe-inspiring results.

Kurek Ashley is the #1 international best selling author of “How would Love respond?”.

Peter Bury

Chemistry Australia

Director – Circular Ecnomy and Future Industries, and Company Secretary

Presentation: "Eliminating Plastic Pollution via a Balanced UN Treaty"

Peter Bury

Melissa Skidmore

CSIRO

Senior Research Scientist

Presentation: "Improving PVC Recycling Project"

Melissa Skidmore 6 1

Peter joined Chemistry Australia in 2001 and is responsible for supporting sustainable industry growth, circular economy, and critical chemicals development. He provides specialist strategy, policy and technical advice on the chemicals and plastics sector for governments, industry, research, academia and communities.

Peter works with the global and Australian plastics industries to help end plastic pollution by accelerating circular economy outcomes to support the UN Treaty process. He represents industry on the National Reconstruction Fund Value-adding to Resources Working Group, Standards Australia Circular Economy Committee and the Australian Packaging Covenant Collective Action Group.

Peter has a diverse background of over 40 year’s experience in the automotive, materials handling, industrial and agricultural polymer films, association management and emergency services sectors. His responsibilities have included: manufacturing engineering; marketing and sales; plant management; environment, health and safety, research and development, recycling, and global/national issues management.

Dr Melissa Skidmore is a senior research scientist with over 20 years’ experience in polymer, synthetic and computational chemistry and polymer analysis and characterisation.

Melissa is Work Package Lead for Waste Innovation for the CSIRO Ending Plastic Waste Mission and is a leader in the CSIRO Circular Economy research initiative.  

Melissa combines her expertise to investigate the redesign, reuse and recycling of plastics. Melissa’s current research includes new polymer development- “recyclable-by-design”, the management and processing of problem plastics and the promotion of circular economy principles to turn plastic waste into a resource.  Melissa co-authored “The recycled plastics market: global analysis and trends” CSIRO report.

Gary Krishna

Queensland State Government

Minister for Environment

Presentation: "Accelerating Decarbonisation across Queensland"

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Nicole Sullivan

thinkstep-anz

Head of Strategy and Impact Australia

Presentation: "Embodied Carbon and EPDs - What are they?"

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Gary Krishna is a Regional Director at the Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, Gary has over 25 years’ experience in the Queensland Public Sector, during this time he has led economic development, industry development, investment attraction and stakeholder engagement activities across several State Agencies.

He is currently responsible for leading the industry development and regional programs that align with the Departments’ strategic plan, and for developing and driving the execution of industry roadmaps and strategies for priority industry sectors and place-based developments. This includes initiatives that develop and promote the international competitiveness and capability of Queensland’s defence, aerospace, space, superyachts, hydrogen, biofutures, biomedical, mining equipment, technology and services, and resource recovery industries.

He is a strong advocate for Queensland Businesses ensuring the delivery of initiatives such as departmental programs and workshops, which help grow business, supply chains and productivity. In addition, he is collaborating with local councils and businesses to assist with economic transition to become decarbonised, ensuring their sustainability in an international environment increasingly concerned about environmental, social and governance (ESG) credentials.

  

As the Head of Strategy and Impact Australia at thinkstep-anz, Nicole supports a wide range of companies to evolve their sustainability strategy, improve their impacts, and effectively communicate with the market. With a degree in chemical engineering and 18 years of process engineering experience, Nicole understands manufacturing at the ‘hard-hat level’. Her deep experience with LCA, EPDs, the building products industry, and green buildings bring practical and pragmatic insight to her holistic focus.

Prior to joining thinkstep-anz Nicole’s role as the Senior Manager of Green Star Solutions at the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) saw her manage the delivery of Green Star certification of buildings, fitouts and communities for over 4 years. She also led the development of the GBCA's new Responsible Products Framework and has a particular interest in empowering the building products industry to be ready for the challenges of the future. She believes that a combination of industry education, collaboration and commercially focused communication can provide the foundation for change.

Nicole’s passion is to inspire, empower and enable people so that together we can address the challenges of tomorrow, today. She is dedicated to supporting industry to find business excellence and commercial success in a sustainability context. She is a sought-after conference speaker, facilitator, and moderator.

Sarah King

Circular Economy GHD

Sustainability Technical Director

Presentation: "Circular Economy - Business, Supply Chain and Industry"

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Tim Reardon

Housing Industry Association (HIA)

Chief Economist

Presentation: "Economic Outlook"

 

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Dr Sarah King is a national leader in circular economy, with 20+ years of experience as an accomplished professional in both public and private sector roles. Sarah’s specialist expertise lies in circular economy (CE), recycling, innovation, policy development, corporate sustainability management, and sustainable industry transition. Sarah invented ‘ASPIRE’, Australia’s first CE matchmaking marketplace, and delivered Australia’s first national CE roadmap. Sarah is a results-driven leader with a proven record of establishing and driving innovation projects, managing major projects, securing commercial investment, managing teams and influencing national policy. Prior to joining GHD, Sarah established CSIRO’s (Australia’s National Science Agency) Ending Plastic Waste Mission as Work Package Leader for Waste Innovation.

Sarah has delivered research on advanced recycling of plastics, battery recycling opportunities and supply chain options for remote recycling of problematic waste streams. Sarah has expertise in designing CE pilots including Australia’s first trial of recycling disposable nappies using anaerobic digestion. Sarah is also an Adjunct Associate Professor with Swinburne University of Technology.

Tim Reardon joined HIA in 2004 as the Executive Director Government Relations working on the Housing Affordability summit in the lead up to the federal election. Tim then took on the role of Executive Director Tasmania until 2007. During this time a builder’s licensing regime was introduced including reforms to home owners warranty and HIA warded off an increase in energy efficiency standards in new homes.

After leaving HIA, Tim then represented the automotive manufacturers during the industry review of 2008 gaining $4.8 billion in industry assistance. He represented the electricity generators through the introduction and repeal of the carbon price in 2012 and also worked as a consultant for a number of other industry groups and companies on federal policy matters.

Tim re-joined HIA as Chief Economist in 2017, heading up the HIA Economics team.

Elizabeth Rose

Ernst & Young

Partner

Presentation: "Modern Slavery in Australia"

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Tapas Strickland

National Australia Bank (NAB)

Head of Market Economics

Presentation: "Australian Economic Update"

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Elizabeth Rose is a Partner with Ernst & Young’s Climate Change and Sustainability Services team based in Brisbane. Elizabeth has 20 years’ experience in sustainability and climate change, working with organisations in manufacturing, mining, energy and resources to navigate the evolving landscape of non-financial risks, including climate change, biodiversity loss, social performance, human rights and modern slavery. In recent years, this has included a focus on understanding these risks within organisations’ supply chains, and to design and implement strategic approaches to risk mitigation and pursuing opportunities. Tapas is Director of Economics at NAB and provides commentary and insights for clients on the economy and financial markets, including regularly kicking off the working day with key overnight updates on NAB’s Morning Call podcast. Having recently spent the past couple of years in the London office, he continues to work with NAB’s diverse range of clients, from SMEs to institutions, both in Australia and abroad. Prior to NAB, Tapas spent six years at the Reserve Bank of Australia and worked as an economic adviser in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, advising the Gillard, Rudd and Abbott governments.  

Cara McNicol

Office of Circular Economy - Department of Environment and Science Queensland

Policy and Legislation Manager

Cara McNicol photo 

Clinton Skeoch

AGWA

Executive Director and CEO

Presentation: "The NCC 2022 7-Star Housing Changes and the Impact to Window Selection"

 2019 Clinton Skeoch
Cara is a policy and legislation Manager within the Office of Circular Economy, in the Queensland government. Cara has worked within the government for nearly 30 years in various roles, from running national environmental pest and disease eradication programs to her current role developing and implementing state environmental strategies and legislation. Cara’s team delivered the Queensland Organics Strategy and its supporting Action Plan and works across addressing Plastic Pollution and Waste Management reforms and circular economy initiatives.  Clinton Skeoch is the Executive Director and CEO of the Australian Glass and Window Association which has run the Window Energy Rating Scheme (WERS) for nearly 30 years. He is also the Chair of the Australian Fenestration Rating Council. With more than 25 years’ experience across building products, research and development and member services industries.  Known for his passionate collaborative style when it comes to working with industry stakeholder groups and aligned partners Clinton is keen to lead the team at AGWA to help identify and build a growing  and sustainable window and glass industry.

Christian Keel

Edge Impact

Head of Circular Economy & Lifecycle Thinking

Presentation: "Maximise Value of EPDs"

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Cindy Bray

PIPA

Executive General Manager

Presentation: "How We Communicate Positioning PVC Pipes in the Circular Economy"

 Cindy Bray Pic

Christian is the Head of Circular Economy & Lifecycle Thinking (CELT) at Edge Impact a full-service sustainability consultancy that combines science, strategy, and storytelling to create positive impact.

He is regarded as a leader in the sustainability sector with proven experience developing innovative solutions to national-scale sustainability challenges by inspiring people and enabling cross-sector collaboration. ​​Christian has been pivotal in developing decarbonisation strategies for regional Australia and has recently led the Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation (ISJO) Circular Economy Investigation. He also has extensive experience across the public and private sector including experience across half of the current ASX20 companies in a range of leadership, strategy, and commercial roles.

Christian is at the forefront of the circular economy movement and through his role at Edge, with the support of the Commonwealth Government, has recently delivered Fit for Office an industry-led, voluntary product stewardship scheme design for the commercial furniture sector. 

Cindy Bray is the Executive General Manager of Plastics Industry Pipe Association of Australia Ltd - PIPA; the peak industry body representing the interests of Australia’s plastics pipe, fitting and resin suppliers since 1999.

Prior to joining PIPA, she was the Product and Category Marketing Manager, responsible for the technical marketing and product development functions for Iplex Pipelines Australia Ltd, one of Australia’s largest manufacturers of PVC (-U, -M, -O), PE, PP, PE-X, PB and GRP pipeline products. Her plastics pipe career spans more than 18 years in a variety of hands-on technical marketing, product management and communications functions.

Cindy holds an Executive Master of Business Administration degree and has a strong focus and passion for sustainability now and into the future – continuing to share the industry’s sustainability story through advocacy, education, technical data, and science. 

Dr. Amir Razmjou Chaharmahali

Edith Cowan University (ECU) - Mineral Recovery Research Centre - School of Engineering

Leader

Presentation: "Recycling of PVC Cable"

 Dr Razmjou Pic 1

Gandi Kuswandi

PT Asahimas Chemical

PVC Division Manager

Sponsor Presentation

 Gandi Kuswandi

Dr. Amir Razmjou is currently a Lecturer in the School of Engineering at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia. He is also the board director of the Membrane Society of Australasia (MSA), founder and leader of the Mineral Recovery Research Centre (MRRC) at ECU, and an editorial board member of the Journal of Desalination.

Dr. Razmjou has published over 180 peer-reviewed articles in top-tier journals related to his research, accumulating over 7300 citations. With a remarkable achievement of securing a staggering AUD 8 million in research funding, including AUD 1 million as the lead chief investigator and an additional AUD 7 million as a Co-CI, he stands at the forefront of technological advancements.

Dr. Razmjou has pioneered the integration of bioleaching with cutting-edge membrane processes, ushering in a new era of purifying and concentrating lithium ions extracted from minerals. His expertise in developing advanced ionselective membranes, backed by fundamental studies using MD simulation and DFT calculation techniques, promises a sustainable and efficient future for the industry.

For over 20 years, Gandi Kuswandi has been a noteworthy leader in the PVC resin industry. With a chemical engineering background, he built his career at PT Asahimas Chemical since 1998. As a PVC Division Manager, his goals are not limited to ensure the PVC resin product always meet customer specification including quantity and quality aspects but also determine to attempt improvement in production process to contribute PVC sustainability. Micro plastic management and PVC’s circular economy development are his main focus.

Before devoting to PT Asahimas Chemical, Gandi served at PT Dwi Sakti Mulya as Technical Service Ceramic Industry and PT Sarana Teknik Abadi as Chemistry Analyst of Water Treatment.

In addition to being a professional in PVC resin industry, Gandi also committed in professional membership. He is a member of Vinyl Council of Australia (VCA) since 2018. Since 2015, he actively being a coordinator for Indonesian Members at ASEAN Vinyl Council (AVC). He also in charge as Chairman of Asia Pacific Vinyl Network (APVN) since 2023.

Hulusi Bulduk

Haffner Machinery

Director

Sponsor Presentation

 97fdeb1e 534a 488f 9753 9a1138c43376

Jade Meredith

Employsure

Employment Relations Advisor

Presentation: "Workplace Relations - Recent Trends/Watchouts for Employers in Australia"

2021January Jade Meredith Advice QLD min 

Hulusi Bulduk is the current Director of Haffner Machinery. After studying mechanical engineering at Technische Hochschule Koblenz University, he returned to Turkey in 1993 and became a partner in Elumatec, where he worked for 20 years.

In 2003, he expanded his activities by forming a partnership with Murat Makina and in 2011 acquired Haffner Makina, further strengthening his presence in the PVC and aluminium window and doors sectors. Hulusi Bulduk has become a well-known figure in the industry over the years, making significant contributions to the business world. His entrepreneurial spirit and successes in the business world reflect his contribution to Turkey's construction sector and innovative technologies.

Jade Meredith is an Employsure Employment Relations Advisor, based in Queensland who has gained human resources experience by working in generalist roles across diverse industries, including Aviation, Sporting and Hospitality.

This experience has assisted Jade to provide timely, practical and commercial advice to employers on day-to-day employment relations issues and compliance with employment legislation.

Rifai Rachmat

Primaplas

Founder and Managing Director

Sponsor Presentation

 Rifai Rachmat

Sophi MacMillan

ARFA

Project Director - ResiLoop

Presentation: "ResiLoop Project"

 Sophi macMillan Pic

Rifai Rachmat is the Managing director and founded Primaplas in Australia in 1989. He began selling PT Asahimas PVC into Australia in 1992, and today Asahimas and Primaplas are a major supplier of PVC resin to the Australian PVC industry.

Rifai has always been interested in Polymer materials, and obtained a Bachelor of Applied Science (Materials Engineering) from Melbourne University majoring in Polymers and started his career at Shell Chemicals in Indonesia. He is experienced in a wide range of polymers including PVC, Polyolefins, Polystyrenes, PET and many others.

Over 40 years he has built up a strong network of industry contacts in Asia and helped Australian plastics customers buy their raw materials competitively from world class suppliers in the region.

Following an early working life in the finance industry in London and Hong Kong, Sophi followed her curiosity to understand how to embed environmental sustainability in economic development. She qualified as an environmental scientist in the early 1990s, bringing her to Melbourne, and has spent over 20 years implementing industry-wide strategies at national and global levels to drive sustainability and transformation, mostly in the plastics and chemicals sector. With a focus on encouraging and supporting collaboration along supply chains, she has initiated strategic sustainability improvement through responsible sourcing, product stewardship and recycling. 

She is now working with major global brands in the Australian resilient floorcovering industry to design a national product stewardship scheme and develop onshore reuse/recycling solutions for their products. 

Sophi is an experienced association executive, company secretary and NFP director and has contributed on advisory panels for initiatives such as Green Star and Global Green Tag. 

Matthew Hoyne

Welvic Australia

Director and VCA Chairman

Matthew Hoyne Pic 1 

Dr Chris Cooper

Allunga Exposure Laboratory

Manager

Presentation: "Testing and Evaluating Durability"

Chris Cooper Photo 
Matthew Hoyne is the current VCA Chairman and Director of Welvic Australia, a manufacturer of PVC compounds, dryblend and recycling based in Melbourne. Matthew joined the plastics industry in 1994 and has had roles with different companies prior to joining Welvic where he has been for the past 15 years.   

After completing a B.Sc. and M.A. at James Cook University, Chris Cooper worked in electron microscopy and technical writing/publishing for 12 years.

Following that for the last 30 years or so he has worked with Allunga Exposure Laboratory focussing on durability testing and other aspects of materials testing, with particular regard to coatings, plastics, and composite materials. He has also led collaborative programs with other materials testing laboratories across the globe and worked with regulatory bodies.

Nigel Jones

Australian Vinyls Corporation -

Representing Formosa Plastics Corporation

Technical Manager

Presentation: "Developments in PVC – Learnings from the International PVC 2024 Conference"

Nigel Jones Pic  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The UK-based Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) has announced it will be moving its triennial global conference, PVC 2021 to an online format.

Focusing on 'Success and Innovation in the Circular Economy', it will run as a fully interactive, virtual conference experience between 10 and 12 May 2021, with emphasis on delivering the exceptional engagement, networking and knowledge exchange between participants, for which the PVC conference series is renowned.

The Vinyl Council of Australia is again proud to partner with this leading event for the vinyl industry.

Usually staged in the UK, as a virtual conference this year, it offers a chance for more participants in the Australasian PVC industry to attend, with the possibility of creating a personalised schedule, networking with attendees (instant chat feature), visiting exhibitors and joining sessions at a click of a button. Registration offers on-demand access after the event and a book of detailed technical conference papers.

Dr Jason Leadbitter, Chair of the PVC organising committee and Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Inovyn, says, ‘I’m delighted to see the relaunch and opportunity for a fully virtual event that provides a unique opportunity to have the highest-ever participation to either watch live or via immediate streaming. PVC 2021 presents a great opportunity – there is really no excuse to miss out on any presentation.’

PVC 2021 is the world’s leading conference on Vinyl and this year’s theme will focus on ‘Success and Innovation in the Circular Economy,’ with an impressive line-up delivering a current, comprehensive and wide-ranging technical programme with 60 papers covering seven technical sessions, with speakers and discussion opportunities in between.

IOM3 CEO Dr Colin Church CEnv FIMMM, says, ‘The PVC conference series is rightly praised for the extremely high standard of its technical content, and going virtual means this will be accessible for a wider audience than ever. Coupled with the exciting networking opportunities the virtual conference platform offers, PVC 2021 will be an unmissable event for all in the sector.’

Registration to attend PVC 2021 is now live. To find out more about this year’s event and to register, visit www.iom3.org/events-awards/pvc-2021.html

The Vinyl Council of Australia (VCA) and the United States Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore a pathway to reciprocity between the two sustainability programs by sharing best practices and collaborating on sustainability program development.

Collaboration between the VCA’s PVC Stewardship Program and VSC’s +Vantage Vinyl™ program seeks to promote global harmonization, broaden recognition of industry leaders, and increase industry participation in these sustainability programs.

“While circumstances vary regionally, sustainability is a global issue and vinyl products participate in a global market,” said Sophi MacMillan, VCA Chief Executive. “It is in the best interest of the industry and society to work across borders to help the vinyl industry to continue to make progress.”

Trade association-led sustainability programs serve an important function to advance voluntary improvements in the industry. Working together, member companies can share best practices leading to continuous improvement throughout the industry.

“Many of our members do business throughout the world,” said Jay Thomas, VSC Executive Director. “Developing a pathway to reciprocity between the various sustainability programs will foster progress by easing the administration burden on companies and encouraging more participation. Increased program participation is a key factor in advancing the sustainability of the industry.”

Companies participating in the PVC Stewardship Program and +Vantage Vinyl programs agree to transparent voluntary commitments and guiding principles of sustainability that are measured and reported on an annual basis. The programs are designed to be inclusive for companies at any stage of the sustainability journey but encourage continuous improvement. The overall performance of member companies is reflected in annual sustainability reporting.

To learn more about the PVC Stewardship Program visit https://www.vinyl.org.au/sustainability/stewardship and https://vantagevinyl.com for more information about +Vantage Vinyl.

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About the Vinyl Sustainability Council
The Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC), founded in 2016 in partnership with the Vinyl Institute, is a council created to advance the vinyl industry’s efforts in addressing sustainability in the United States. The VSC is a collaborative platform for companies, organizations and other industry stakeholders to come together to create a sustainable development path for the industry. For more information, please visit vantagevinyl.com/vinyl-sustainability-council/.

The Vinyl Council of Australia (VCA) and its project partner, Specialised Textiles Association (STA) have secured Government grant funding of nearly $350,000 to further research into the recycling of waste PVC and polyester composite textile products in Australia.

Their TexBack project is one of only 15 successful grant applications (out of a total 190 submissions) and will receive $349,850 from the National Product Stewardship Investment Fund (NPSIF). The Government’s funding program was launched to promote and stimulate shared action for everyday products with a focus on working to reduce waste generation and increased resource recovery.

‘TexBack’ is an industry-driven initiative which aims to steward polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-polyester (PES) composite textile products and waste which are currently not recovered in Australia.

The Morrison Government’s grant will fund the development of the business case for a national product stewardship scheme for textiles such as grain covers, tarpaulins, advertising banners, tents and marquees, roofing and grounds sheets, truck tarps, marine fabrics, swimming pool liners and upholstery fabrics. The project covers a range of activities, including testing of a new chemical separation technology, that will enable the specialised textiles and vinyl sectors to address the growing concerns of waste ending up in landfill.

The NPSIF has projected 1.5 million tonnes of waste to be diverted from landfill through the initiative and will further boost the economy by creating more than 560 potential jobs.

Developing a uniquely Australian solution will pave the way for the establishment of a new, industry-led product stewardship scheme that recovers a complex local waste stream, reprocesses it within Australia and supports the local manufacture of an innovative recycled content PVC building product being developed here, with export market potential. Local markets for recovered polyester will also be sought.

Welcoming the grant, the Vinyl Council of Australia’s PVC Stewardship Manager, Jan van de Graaff said: “TexBack will build on earlier VCA-led research into potential recycling options of PVC coated fabrics conducted over the past four years.

“This grant now gives VCA and STA a real opportunity to collaborate to engage the textile sector in developing a viable scheme for recovery and reprocessing of this waste stream, particularly as there is a potential end-use for the material that will lead to manufacturing of a completely new durable building product in Australia.”

Ana Drougas, Executive Office for the STA said “We are excited to be working with the VCA in an Australian first project to pilot the introduction of innovative and uniquely Australian world-leading PVC Separation technology. We acknowledge and commend the Commonwealth Government for elevating the status of product stewardship as a means of addressing environmental sustainability, growing jobs and the economy.”

In announcing the grant recipients, Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley said: “We have made it clear that industry needs to take action for their waste. We are investing $10.5 million to seed 11 new and expand four existing industry-led initiatives that will make a practical environmental difference and it is great to see industry respond strongly to our call.”

“Our seed funding, along with the reforms in our Recycling Act, empowers industry and product experts to take more responsibility for their products,” said Hon Trevor Evans MP Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Assistant Minister.

“The grants were six-times oversubscribed which clearly shows the appetite in Australia for putting the power of recycling into the hands of businesses and consumers.”

For more information on the funded product stewardship schemes, visit: https://www.environment.gov.au/protection/waste-resource-recovery/product-stewardship/national-product-stewardship-investment-fund

Tuesday, 10 November 2020 22:24

The value of product stewardship

In the current business climate, the application of product stewardship has much to offer to individual businesses, industry collectives and governments seeking to drive sustainable economic growth.

This has been brought into a sharper focus in recent times due to the global economic downturn triggered by the covid-19 pandemic which has led many businesses and governments to recognize the level of economic dependence they have on offshore suppliers and markets, including for waste materials. This, coupled with the impact of the China National Sword policy, has the potential to stimulate new ways of thinking and smarter approaches to business and economic management and prosperity. One such approach, and one that has considerable merit, is product stewardship.

Product stewardship is defined as “the principle that everyone involved in a product supply chain - including raw material and component suppliers, product and packaging manufacturers, brand owners, recyclers, governments and consumers - share responsibility for minimising environmental impacts over that product’s life cycle”  . Product stewardship can therefore make a significant contribution to the circular economy. Stewardship, at its best, takes a life cycle thinking approach to ensure products and materials are designed to avoid adverse impacts on society and the environment and that the resources consumed are retained within the productive economy in a cyclical manner.

The Vinyl Council, through its PVC Stewardship Program, has been at the forefront of this journey in Australia for quite some time. The Program commits Signatories to implement life cycle thinking and consider the whole-of-life impacts of the products that they introduce to the marketplace. This encompasses a wide range of considerations including raw materials and resources, embodied carbon, toxicity, and lifespan. This has resulted in the sector producing products that deliver proven environmental benefits, as a function of their excellent performance, durability, low waste generation and affordability which has been borne out through numerous lifecycle assessments carried out globally and locally.

Furthermore, when stakeholders collaborate, opportunities arise for better resource management, which in turn can stimulate local employment and deliver greater security and access to the inputs needed by local manufacturers. The Vinyl Council is pleased Federal and State Governments have recently announced funding programs which  may provide opportunities to bring together innovators and entrepreneurs to develop new systems and infrastructure, or products, which will lead to enhanced recovery and reprocessing of greater volumes of PVC for the domestic market.

The Council firmly believes that a product stewardship focus can translate into tangible financial and reputational benefits for those organisations that embrace and commit to implementing product stewardship approaches. These benefits are evident both in the public realm but also in the disciplines it enforces on organisations in terms of how they manage and monitor their day to day operations.

Furthermore, acting as leaders through product stewardship delivers:

  • Differentiation in the marketplace that leads to competitive advantage. Establishing stewardship credentials through independent third-party schemes, as the PVC program does, demonstrates not only a company’s commitment to continuous improvement but may also differentiate it from competitors. Increasingly, down-stream customers want to know how their suppliers manage their environmental affairs. Independent and third-party verified schemes enable those involved to spruik their credentials and demonstrate their accountability and
    transparency.

  • Access to markets. At present, governments at all levels are reviewing their procurement frameworks and policies to examine how these systems can be used to support and stimulate circular economy objectives, including boosting demand for recycled content products. In doing so, governments are likely to preference those businesses who are members of recognised and reputable product stewardship schemes. This will facilitate access to markets for those businesses participating in these stewardship schemes.

  • Reducing liability. A company is best positioned when it understands its products holistically. Product stewardship, particularly a life cycle-based scheme, fosters a proactive approach within businesses to consider the supply chain risks and the various lifecycle stages of the products they are releasing into the market. It therefore reduces risk and better prepares them for future challenges.

  • More effective business management. Implementing product stewardships schemes within businesses imposes disciplines around establishing appropriate systems that enable organisations to measure performance, monitor outcomes and control direction. This can aid in minimising risks, enhancing profitability as well as in fulfilling obligations in relation to regulatory compliance.

  • Strengthening organisational culture. Embedding environmental and social sustainability as core values of a business’ operations can support buy-in and pride from its workforce.

With a significant track record of driving change through the industry since 2002, the PVC Stewardship Program is an example of voluntary stewardship bringing benefit to both industry and community.

If you are an Australian business operating in the vinyls product sector and are interesting in learning more about our PVC Stewardship Program, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 03 9510 1711.

For our latest results, please check out our annual Progress Report.

Tuesday, 08 September 2020 07:12

Vinyl Council appoints new Chairman

Matthew Hoyne (L), Chairman and Rob McLorinan (R), Vice Chairman

 

The Board of the Vinyl Council of Australia has elected a new Chairman following the decision by Ian Rayner (Managing Director, Breathe Fresh Australia Pty Ltd) to retire as Chairman after eight years at the helm.

Taking over the role is Matthew Hoyne, Director and General Manager of vinyl compounder and recycler, Welvic Australia.

Ian has supported the Council with his extensive management and industry experience since his appointment as Chairman in 2012 and as a Director since 2005. He has steered the Council through the major industry restructure in 2016 when the country’s only resin producer ceased manufacturing, as well as through the current, challenging pandemic. The strength of the Council today as the peak association for the vinyl industry is testament to Ian’s leadership. He will remain on the Board as a Director.

Matthew Hoyne’s role as Chairman commenced on 25 August. Matthew has served on the Council Board as a Director since 2009 and has been the Treasurer and Deputy Chairman for the past eight years.

He brings over 26 years of experience in the plastics industry having held several technical and commercial roles with different plastics manufacturers. He has been a part owner and Director of Welvic Australia since 2006.

Matthew has been a member of the Council’s Technical Steering Group for the PVC Stewardship Program and currently chairs the PVC AUS conference organising committee and the PVC Circularity Task Force.

The Council’s Board currently has eight directors, including Matthew. These are:

  • Vice Chairman/Treasurer: Mr. Rob McLorinan - General Manager, Armstrong Flooring Pty Ltd
  • Mr Brad Scharenguivel – Country Manager, Deceuninck Australia
  • Ms Cindy Bray – Executive General Manager, Plastic Industry Pipe Association of Australia Ltd (PIPA)
  • Mr David Cooper - General Manager, Australian Vinyls Corporation Pty Ltd
  • Mr Dieter Klamann – Managing Director, Chemson Pacific Pty Ltd
  • Mr Ian Lilja – Group Technical Advisor, Sun Ace Australia Pty Ltd
  • Mr Ian Rayner - Managing Director, Breathe Fresh Australia Pty Ltd

 

The Vinyl Council of Australia welcomes the Federal Government’s commitment of $190 million into a Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF) that is expected to ‘drive a billion-dollar transformation’ of Australia’s waste and recycling capacity.

The RMF will support innovative investment in new recycling infrastructure to sort, process and remanufacture materials, including mixed plastics.

“We believe this funding is much needed, well targeted and an excellent opportunity to refine the current systems,” says Sophi MacMillan, Chief Executive of the Vinyl Council of Australia. “Australia lags Europe and numerous other countries around the world in terms of sorting, recovery and recycling of mixed plastics and this fund has the potential to help bridge this gap.”

The Vinyl Council has long been calling for this waste to be sorted more thoroughly, enabling plastics such as vinyl to be recycled.

The third most commonly used type of plastic, vinyl (or PVC as it is also known) is used in virtually every sector of the economy from healthcare devices, consumer goods, food and agriculture to education, building and infrastructure. Due to its excellent durability, vinyl is mostly used in long life applications but also some niche packaging applications for its specific functional properties. Although relatively small volumes present in the waste stream annually, these low volumes have often mitigated against investment in developing collection, sorting, and processing infrastructure.

The Vinyl Council believes new investment is needed in a range of systems and technologies to enable recovery, material separation and recycling across our communities and sectors, as well as improved policy drivers that address and incentivize the system holistically from managing waste as a valuable resource to use of recyclate in well-designed, high value, new products.

Since 2002, the Vinyl Council’s PVC Stewardship Program, which commits participating companies to strive for continuous improvement in the environmental footprint of PVC products, has encouraged improved recycling practices for vinyl products in Australia. Signatories have committed to using recycled PVC in new products, particularly in industrial, building and infrastructure products, as well as minimising production wastes and packaging waste sent to landfill.

Annual reporting has found the amount of PVC being recycled by local manufacturing Program signatories grew for a third successive year in 2019 and is now more than double the amount used in 2016.

Ensuring sufficient, consistent local supply of quality recyclate for these manufacturers going forward is a challenge. The Vinyl Council is optimistic that the funding package announced by the Honourable Sussan Ley, Minister for the Environment, will help address this and enable the vinyl resource stream to be retained within the productive economy.

“As our core purpose is to enhance the industry’s opportunities for sustainable growth, we have been working with members and stakeholders to improve PVC recycling,” MacMillan explains. “Our PVC Circularity Taskforce brings together industry and government representatives to drive the industry’s circular economy objectives.

“Working with this forum and with the support of the Federal Government and interested State jurisdictions, we believe we can fast track new technologies that produce suitable clean and sorted PVC for remanufacture locally”, she adds.

Further investment in source separation of wastes and secondary sorting facilities would support the recovery of, for example, rigid PVC packaging materials, which are readily recyclable but often not separated from the co-mingled plastics waste stream.

“We look forward to mobilising and realising these opportunities with interested State Government agencies to improve environmental outcomes and stimulate employment, particularly given the current economic challenges,” MacMillan adds.

“Our members are committed to the circular economy, which has the opportunity to grow substantially if all levels of government harness their purchasing power to support those companies that are active participants in product stewardship schemes and are manufacturing recycled content products.”

PVC used in windows and building products has proven performance benefits in the event of fire due to its inherent flame retardancy, that will not cause, support or enhance the development of fire. Sophi MacMillan, Chief Executive of the Vinyl Council of Australia analyses the latest technical guidance on PVC fire safety.

PVC, or vinyl, is the most widely used polymer in building and construction applications with up to 70% of global annual PVC production used in this sector. Plastic products contribute to greater building energy efficiency, cost savings, construction safety, lower embodied carbon and design versatility.

The material’s increasing use over the last six decades in construction and furnishing of buildings has led to a thorough assessment of its fire performance that shows the distinct advantages of uPVC (unplasticised or rigid PVC) over many other building materials, including timber, in the event of fire. Crucially, PVC, especially unplasticised PVC (uPVC or PVC-U) has inherently superior fire performance due to its chlorine content that acts as a natural fire retardant, setting it apart from other polymers such as polyethylene.

Specifiers, architects, construction and fire professionals can learn more about the material’s credentials in the 2019 ISO Technical Report: ‘Plastics – Guidance on fire characteristics and fire performance of PVC materials used in building applications’, which serves as a valuable technical reference document for the specification of PVC products at the design or pre-building phase.

So, what are the benefits of PVC fire performance characteristics and how can these contribute to enhanced safety in the event of fire?

uPVC is inherently fire retardant: The high chlorine content of uPVC acts as a natural flame retardant, greatly reducing its combustibility. Unlike most timber building elements, uPVC building elements (such as window frames and permanent formwork) do not support combustion and are in fact self-extinguishing. In reaction to fire tests, the report states that due to its high content of chlorine, ‘PVC-U displays a high resistance to ignition, a low rate of heat release, and self-extinguishes when the external heat source is removed’.

uPVC is slow to ignite: uPVC is far less likely to burn due to its resistance to ignition, thus contributing to fire safety. The temperature required to ignite uPVC (391 degrees C), such as that used in window profiles and permanent formwork, is higher than that needed for wood (260 degrees C).The report’s comparison data of some results for PVC with those of other materials regarding ignition times and heat flux values to cause ignition respectively ‘illustrate the good ignition resistance’ of PVC materials.

uPVC is self-extinguishing: Most PVC formulations are not just difficult to ignite - they will self-extinguish when the flame source is removed because of the high levels of chlorine present in PVC. This makes PVC particularly suitable for rigid applications such as windows, doors and permanent formwork & lining used in construction, and is a significant positive for fire safety.

uPVC has a limited flame spread compared to other materials: Burning uPVC chars and will self-extinguish if the external heat or flame source is removed, making it inherently resistant to flame spread. It rarely produces flaming droplets or burning debris, which are a major cause of flame spread. Generally, uPVC profile has a low flame spread index (FSI) value of 15 to 20. In comparison, Douglas fir/cedar plywood FSI value is much higher at 190-230.

uPVC permanent formwork systems have been tested to AS5113 (BS8414) façade test and successfully passed the no flame spread criteria, and tested to AS1530.3 to achieve Spread of Flame Index of 0.

uPVC heat release: Heat release is a key factor regarding fire safety. Data on measurement of peak heat release rates (PHRR) and fire performance index (FPI) values shows that PVC materials ‘behave well’ when compared to other polymers and timber.
For example, uPVC permanent formwork systems have been tested to AS1530.3 to achieve Heat Evolved Index of 0.

In room-corner fire tests on wall-lining materials, the PVC systems outperformed the others, including wood, polycarbonate and FR ABS, with substantially lower average and total heat release rates. None of the PVC materials caused flashover. The study also showed that the low flame spread/low heat release characteristics of PVC materials tend to also exhibit low smoke release.

uPVC smoke density and toxicity in fires: Burning PVC releases a heavy smoke. However, smoke measurement tests show that PVC materials do not present a significantly greater smoke hazard than many other commonly used materials.
PVC and fire safety. In the context of fire safety objectives, survey data shows that only 10% to 15% of all plastics in a private house are in construction products. A much higher proportion (85% to 90%) of plastics are brought into a building by the occupants, such as furniture, household and technology appliances, toys and packaging.

 

As a strong, recyclable and versatile building material, with inherent fire retardancy, PVC is an excellent safe and long-life choice for myriad construction applications.In Australia, uPVC window frames have been developed and tested specifically to meet construction requirements for designated Bushfire Attack Levels (BAL) within Australian Standards for Construction in Bushfire Prone Areas (AS 3959:2009). And uPVC permanent formwork systems can meet BAL FZ (flame zone) construction requirements.

uPVC windows with metal reinforcing are permitted in zones classified as up to BAL-29 (where the number represents the heat flux in kW m²) risk. Some u-PVC window systems have been independently tested and comply with AS 1530.8.1 which permits their use in zones BAL-40 and above.

While people are, naturally and rightly, concerned about combustibility of plastics, it is important to understand the difference between the characteristics and properties of different polymers. And crucially, that PVC’s high chlorine content (57%) - a fire retardant -sets it apart from other polymers.

Australian manufactured uPVC permanent formwork systems have extensively been fire tested to demonstrate their fire performance compliance with the relevant requirements of the NCC. These fire tests include (but are not limited to) AS5113 (BS8414) façade fire test, AS5637.1 (ISO9705) room test classification test, AS1530.4 fire resistance level testing, and AS1530.3 fire hazard indices test.

PVC is undoubtedly one of our most successful modern synthetic building materials that has undergone rigorous assessment on its effect on health and the environment. It is time to reassess our attitudes towards this proven safe material.

Monday, 15 June 2020 04:09

Best Practice PVC - Have your say

Launched as a product verification scheme in 2010, Best Practice PVC sets stringent criteria for manufacturing PVC products and addressing their end of first use. Best Practice PVC products, independently verified as fully compliant wit the scheme, are recognised in Green Star building rating tools, as well as other public and private procurement policies in Australia.

In this first major review of the scheme and its criteria, proposed by the Green Building Council of Australia to be conducted by the Vinyl Council, we are seeking feedback on aspects of PVC manufacturing and supply chain performance globally that may lead to updating or including new criteria to represent current 'best practice'.

We have released a Consultation Paper on potential scheme criteria and invite your input on the future direction of the scheme. Options outlined in this paper were drafted based on the proposed, revised approach of the Green Star building rating tools to building products (refer to Green Star Future Focus), the existing PVC Stewardship Program, and current trends in PVC manufacture.

In this paper we pose questions on:
•    Potential gaps in current Best Practice PVC criteria;
•    Alignment with the PVC Stewardship Program and other schemes’ criteria;
•    Possible approaches to be introduced;
•    Other issues that a future scheme might include.

We want to hear from you!

We ask that you consider the current and proposed scheme criteria and strategic options discussed and provide input by 7th July 2020. You can provide feedback by:

  1. Using this form (MS Word) and emailing it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  2. Through SurveyMonkey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BEPupdate. The survey will take only 10 minutes to complete.


Your feedback will be kept confidential, and any published results will be aggregated and anonymised. Your contact information will be taken and retained solely for the purpose of reviewing and improving the Best Practice PVC scheme.

Find more information on Best Practice PVC and PVC product recognition in Green Star here.

Download the Consultation Paper and feedback form.

The Vinyl Council of Australia rescheduled its PVC AUS 2021: Shared Horizons biennial conference as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak to May 24-26 2022 in the same location at the Hilton Surfers Paradise, Queensland.

Vinyl Council CEO Sophi MacMillan says that the decision to delay the event, originally scheduled for May 2020 and then postponed to March 2021, was taken due to understandable restrictions and concerns about travel and in the light of current government and health authorities’ advice.

Sophi says: “The reality is that travel and joining mass gatherings remains largely restricted because of COVID-19 and the situation is unlikely to be fully resolved until 2022. Although some events have moved to online delivery, a key purpose and attraction of PVC AUS conferences is the opportunity to connect in person with peers across the vinyl supply chain.

“This is why we have taken this strategic decision together with our major sponsors to postpone PVC AUS, an event that attracts at least 150 local and international people, to next year.”

Supporting PVC AUS: Shared Horizons as platinum sponsors are resin producer Formosa Plastics Corp, plastics extrusion technology leaders battenfeld-cincinnati, powder handling specialists Idealtec and Austria-based Greiner Extrusion GmbH. Gold sponsors include Baerlocher, Chemson Pacific, Deceuninck, Polyflor and Sun Ace. The Opening Night is sponsored by AGC Group PT Asahimas Chemical and PrimaPlas.

Sophi adds: “We have an exciting program lined up that will explore how industry might collaborate to find solutions to PVC circularity, reinforcing the material’s role in a circular economy, as well as delving into issues and trends relevant to our industry, such as Building Code product conformance, certifications and Industry 4.0.

“In the coming months, we will continue to finalise a stimulating program within a safe environment for people to meet. Although it is disappointing to have had to postpone our event until 2022, we believe industry participants will welcome the chance to reconnect and network after a long period of travel and meeting restrictions.”

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