Document KzBKbwvQ7MXmmz9ErYzv488b0

Edward Howard /* ^ /^'Vi PPuubblliicc RReellaaitiions Counsel V Fm Founded 199525 One Erieview Plaza, 7th Floor Cleveland, Ohio 44114-1716 (216)781-2400 Fax: 781-8810 TO; All VI Members FROM: Nora Jacobs DATE: October 26, 1994 FYI, the following release was sent today to business and environmental reporters throughout North and South America. Additional distribution was made in Europe and Japan. To: ' Environmental/Business Editors From: Edward Howard & Co. Distribution: US1, Latin America Joint Communique for the Third Tripartite Conference of the Global Vinyl Industry TOKYO, Japan, October 26 /PRNewswire/ -- This communique has been adopted at the Third Tripartite Conference by The Vinyl Institute representing the United States and its international associates, the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers and the Japan PVC Association after an interchange of views and information on issues of importance to the vinyl industry throughout the world. The conference was hosted by the Japan PVC Association and was held in Tokyo, Japan, from October 24 to October 26, 1994. It included 90 representatives of the vinyl industry from 12 nations. 1. The participants are proud of PVC products that have been widely accepted in housing and construction, transportation, packaging, health care and many other uses for over a half century, thus enriching the daily life of people and contributing to the development of society. We are convinced that PVC products will play an important role in the future as well. 2. The participants renewed their pledge to ensure that vinyl -- also known as polyvinyl chloride or PVC -- continues to improve its already sound environmental performance. To that end, the vinyl industry will use sound science in all Offices in Cleveland, Akron, Columbus and Davton CTL028862 its pursuits and will develop and share needed information with government authorities. 3. In spite of the fact that dioxin emissions from the vinyl industry are insignificant, the industry will make further efforts to understand and deal with the dioxin issue in cooperation with the appropriate government agencies. 4. The rapid progress made in vinyl recycling technologies was acknowledged by the participants and they pledged to continue and to expand the information exchange already underway on all types of recycling -- mechanical recycling, feedstock recycling and thermal recycling -- and to foster them throughout the world. 5. The participants acknowledged the effectiveness of thermal recycling in many cases, whereby energy is recovered from vinyl in the waste stream through thermal cracking of plastic. There is a need for continued development in this area. 6. The preferred method for vinyl recycling, the participants said, will depend on actual conditions and waste disposal modes in each country and region. Society should be given alternative choices to meet its needs and should consider not only economics but also the impact on the environment. However, solving the major waste disposal issues facing mankind will require mutual cooperation among citizens, their governments and industry and the sharing of the costs of recycling within society in an equitable manner. 7. Recognizing the continued growth and importance of vinyl in meeting society's material requirements, the participants vowed to intensify their efforts to develop the technology essential to vinyl's role in the 21st century, especially in meeting society's needs for habitat, infrastructure, transportation and information systems in the next 25 years. 8. To enhance cooperation on all of these matters, the participants intend to create a global information clearinghouse on all aspects of the vinyl lifecycle, from production through recycling and disposal. It was decided to hold the Fourth Tripartite Conference in the fall of 1995 in Toronto, Canada. TOKYO, JAPAN October 26, 1994 -0- 10/25/94 /Contact: John R. Svalander, Director, European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers, Brussels, Belgium, 322-675- 29-71; Robert Burnett, Executive Director, The Vinyl Institute, Morristown, N.J., USA, 201-898-6699, or Nora Jacobs of Edward Howard & Co., Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A., 216- 781-2400; Tsukasa Matsui, Executive Director, Japan PVC Association, Tokyo, Japan, 03-3506-5481/ CTL028863