Vinyl Sustainability Forum 2016: final programme and speakers announced

VinylPlus has announced its final programme and speaker list for its 4th Vinyl Sustainability Forum with the theme of ‘Smart Vinyl for our Cities’ in Vienna, Austria on April 28th 2016.

Top-level speakers at the event, organised by VinylPlus, the sustainable development programme of the European PVC industry, include Stephan Sicars, Director Environment Department, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).

In his keynote address on ‘Pathways towards Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development’, Stephan will cover the main outcomes of the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Summit in relation to 21st century industry. He will also outline UNIDO’s approach to the circular economy and recommendations to meet the challenges ahead.

Current and expected trends in the global PVC market and the European market’s future business strategy will be highlighted by keynote speaker Karl Martin Schellerer, Managing Director of Vinnolit GmbH & Co. KG.

Brigitte Dero, VinylPlus General Manager will report on current achievements through the Voluntary Commitment to sustainable development, including updates on the mid-term review findings, recommendations and future goals for PVC sustainability.

In key sessions looking at ‘The Big Global Challenge – Sustainable Cities in the 21st Century’ and ‘Setting the Standards for Sustainable Cities’, newly-confirmed speakers include Alexandre Schmidt, Director of Finance and Real Estate, City Council of Bern, Switzerland and Georg Pommer, Unit Head of Testing, Monitoring and Certification Center, City of Vienna. They will be explaining their views on PVC and its use within their ‘Policies for Building and Construction’ in their respective cities.

Joining them will be Christos Fragakis, Deputy Head of Unit, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission on ‘Renaturing Cities through Innovative and Nature-based Urban Design’. Christos will outline how the EU plans to achieve the SDGs in the urban context and links with the 2015 EU Circular Economy Plan.

Commenting on the final programme, Brigitte Dero says: “Our annual Forum offers a varied and stimulating agenda from which participants can share best practice and draw inspiration from our continuing achievements. Through our Voluntary Commitment, we are moving the European PVC industry towards a Circular Economy. Roll on the next chapter!”

In parallel, a session on the ‘Worldwide View on PVC’, on April 27th and organised by ECVM (the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers), will showcase news and developments from representatives from South East Asia, Canada, USA, China and Japan.

VinylPlus is the renewed ten-year Voluntary Commitment of the European PVC industry. The programme establishes a long-term framework for the sustainable development of the PVC industry by tackling a number of critical challenges in the EU-28, Norway and Switzerland.

More information on the 2016 Forum can be found at http://vinylplus.eu/community/vinyl-sustainability-forum/vsf16

Contact:
Sylvie Famelart (sylvie.famelart@plasticseurope.org)
Noelle Tracey (noelle.tracey@plasticseurope.org)