BANGKOK — Members of the vinyl industry from ASEAN countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam have committed to the responsible and sustainable development of the industry across the region by signing a charter to establish the ASEAN Vinyl Council (AVC) advisory body.
The newly established AVC, which aims to promote responsible and sustainable development across the region, will ensure that participating members will comply with governing and applicable standards and industry best practices.
Environmental impacts are a key focus and will be controlled in line with targets aligned with best industrial standards and in conjunction with timeframes set at the AVC General Meeting.
The advisory body will also encourage future improvements, work with associated industry groups for a better understanding of environmental issues, share knowledge and best practices of innovative environmental control technologies, and enhance communications with stakeholders and the general public.
Commenting on the establishment of the institution, Guenther Wilhelm Nadolny, managing director of VINYTHAI and the first chairman of AVC, said, “As the region’s vinyl industry continues to make rapid growth in response to a rising global demand, care for the environment, health and safety remain crucial focuses.”
“ASEAN vinyl manufacturers and their partners continually improve their production processes to reduce impact on the environment and local communities. Despite past success, members believe further improvements must be discussed with useful conditions to be created as necessary to achieve sustainable development,” Nadolny added.
Tomoyuki Koike, president of the Philippine Resins Industries and board director of the Association of AVC, said, “The charter covers all processing, logistics and recycling of EDC, VCM and PVC and serves to ensure environmental impacts will be precisely measured, monitored and reduced. We believe collaborative efforts formed by the AVC members will lead to a better environmental management and provide steps toward sustainability.”
The AVC charter was agreed and signed by Standard Toyo Polymer (Indonesia), Sulfindo Adiusaha (Indonesia), TPC Indo Plastic and Chemicals (Indonesia), Industrial Resins (Malaysia), Malayan Electro-Chemical Industry (Malaysia), Vinyl Cholride (M) Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), Philippine Resins Industries Inc. (the Philippines), APEX Petrochemical (Thailand), VINYTHAI (Thailand), Thai Plastic and Chemicals (Thailand), Phu My Plastics and Chemicals (Vietnam), and TPC Vina Plastic and Chemical (Vietnam).
The vibrant ASEAN vinyl market is comprised mainly of EDC (ethylene dichloride), VCM (vinyl chloride monomer) and PVC (polyvinyl chloride).
PVC, in particular, is a universally used plastic that is cost-effective, adaptable, safe, recyclable and environment-friendly.
The capacities of the ASEAN vinyl industry are 2.59-million metric tons per year for EDC, 1.8-million metric tons per year for VCM, and 2.116-million metric tons per year for PVC.