J
Edward Howard
tCo. Public Relation!* Counsel Founded 1923
One Cascade Plaza. 19th Floor Akron, Ohio -44308-1121 (216)376-6500 Fax: 376-9379
MEMORANDUM
Date: To:
From: Subject: Copies:
September 22, 1992
Bob Burnett Meredith Scheck Pat Benkner
Dave Meeker/Nora Jacobs
Issues Management Program Action Report Angust 1992
VI Board of Directors VIGOR Communications Committee Chairman of the Packaging Council EH&Co. Issues Management Team
Following are significant developments during the reporting period:
Tripartite Conference Marks New Era for Vinyl -- Leaders of the vinyl industry from Japan, Europe and North and South America gathered in Washington, D.C. at the beginning of September to chart a course for worldwide cooperation on vinyl issues. In three days of discussions, representatives of the Japan PVC Association, the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers and the Vinyl Institute agreed that cooperation should be pursued on environmental matters and on promotion of vinyl as a material which benefits society around the globe. In a joint communique, the vinyl industry leaders said, "We reaffirm our ongoing commitment to be good stewards of our products and to meet our environmental responsibilities. We believe that environmental protection and economic development are not incompatible and, in fact, are fundamentally linked."
Second Pilot Recvcline Program Underway -- Publicity efforts for Waste Alternatives, Inc.'s post-consumer reclaim operations have been ongoing since a news release was distributed to more than 140 trade media on August 31. Florida was selected for this demonstration project because of its growing population and limitations on landfilling. Unique
characteristics stressed to the media include the separation technology used by Magnetic Separation Systems, Inc., the turnkey service in converting post-consumer plastic into readyto-use raw material, and Florida's strategic location near major types of transportation and large population centers.
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On the Hotline -- The VERCE hotline received 80 calls in August with a large portion of the information requests coming from scrap vinyl sources. Many of the callers requested copies of Chem Systems' lifecycle analysis executive summary and recycler contacts for vinyl scrap such as window casements, siding, mini-blinds, tubing from beverage distribution systems, credit cards and bottles. An interest in recycling both industrial and consumer scrap remains strong among manufacturers and the general public which support the vinyl recycling infrastructure. Interest continues for the Directory of Companies Manufacturing Products From Recycled Vinyl, as well as for the Directory of Companies Involved in the Recycling of Vinyl (PVC) Plastics and the Solid Waste Fact Kit.
Vinyl in the News -- The media's coverage of vinyl remains favorable, with 88 percent of the articles receiving positive coverage. News clips on vinyl's uses and qualities remain the largest percentage of overall coverage, with stories ranging from the usual - the use of vinyl in the construction industry -- to the unusual -- the invention of a Surf Chair, a wheelchair made from lightweight vinyl tubing and balloon tires. The "other trades" category, with publications such as Floor Covering Weekly and Fenestration, and the "opinion leaders/general public" category were the most prevalent publication audiences.
Making Contacts -- During the month, contacts have been established with Reynolds Metals, Reflexite Corporation, North American Plastics, Coors Brewing Company, Florida Polymer Recycling, Bristol Myers Squibb, Recycling Council of Ontario, Northwestern University and K3 Corporation. Details of these contacts are available upon request.
Legislative Tracking Update
A recycling subcommittee in Wisconsin has approached the state's Governor's Council on Recycling to call for a ban on PVC. The subcommittee, headed by Many Forman of PolyAnna Plastic Products, Inc., believes that banning PVC containers in Wisconsin, as well as nationwide, would increase PET's recycling rate. Bill Carroll of Oxychem, Bob Bumett and Dave Schoeneck of Schoeneck Containers addressed the Council in support of the vinyl industry on September 9. The Council tabled any action pending further study of the issue.
A proposal to consider citywide collection of recyclable plastics in New York was scheduled for a vote August 26 by City Council. With hopes to implement this plan by September 1993, the new program would include PET and HDPE containers and allow for a new incinerator in Brooklyn. This plan also replaces a program that did not include universal plastics collection. Certain areas of the city currently collect PVC, polypropylene and polystyrene, but will cut back to just PET and HDPE due to their consistent markets under this new proposal.
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Environmental Developments
Anti-chlorine campaigners in Ontario are praising Ikea, a Swedish furniture chain, for printing its catalogs on chlorine-free paper, and Kinko's, a photocopying chain, for making chlorine-free paper available at all its stores. Greenpeace and other environmental groups have been pushing for a "zero discharge" of chlorine-based chemicals within the pulp and paper industry. However, the industry claims that the technology isn't yet proven and alternatives to produce paper aren't strong enough. Greenpeace representative Gord Perks stated, "If the pulp and paper industry would listen to their customers instead of their own bluster, many of our pulp mills would already be chlorine-free." (The Toronto Star, August 24, 1992)
Greenpeace has accused the Australian government and its ship, Maria Laura, of breaking international law within the "1989 Basel Convention" for shipping toxic waste (PCBs) to France. Activists went so far as to chain themselves to the containers of PCBs to prevent its transport by land to a high-temperature incinerator in France. The "Basel Convention" state* that countries exporting toxic waste must certify that it is handled properly in transport, while the importing country must show that the proposed method of destruction is environmentally sound.
European Developments
The following are PVC related developments released by European Vinyls Corporation in July 1992:
In Germany... PVC industry delegates and all German car manufacturers met to discuss PVC and its automotive applications. Their conclusions were that PVC's image is down, PVC is associated with dioxin formation when scrap is incinerated and the complexity of PVC components such as dashboards, trim work or cable harnesses make recycling difficult. However, Mercedes Benz claims it has difficulties in replacing PVC to uphold customers' requirements. Opel, VW and Mercedes Benz agreed to make presentations to the other German car manufacturers to establish PVC's position within the industry.
In Holland... The vinyl industry protested a brochure on office appliances because it violated the Code of Conduct set up by the "Reclame Code Commissie." The brochure featured a "green" rule: Avoid PVC. Although the Code has no legal status, the Commission has high public impact.
In the United Kingdom... The recycler, Recoup, is expanding its capacity to collect and sort plastics, including PVC bottles.
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