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VINYL ISSUES MANAGEMENT PROGRAM MEDIA MONITORING MAY 1993 A total of 128 articles were reviewed. The following is an analysis of the articles which were clipped by Bacon's Clipping Service, retrieved from Mead Data's Nexis/Lexis system or gleaned from in-house monitoring. TONE 85 percent positive 5 percent neutral 10 percent negative TOPICS Vinyl uses, qualities, etc. Vinyl and the environment Technology of plastics recycling References to VI, etc. Technology of vinyl recycling Economics of recovery/re-use 73 percent 9 percent 8 percent 6 percent 2 percent 2 percent PRIMARY PUBLICATION AUDIENCE Opinion leaders, general public Plastics industry Other trades Waste collectors, recyclers Packagers, retailers Environmentalists Scientists, researchers Legislators, regulators Government solid waste managers 68percent 13percent 8percent 6percent 4percent 1percent 0percent 0percent 0percent CONCLUSIONS Ongoing media monitoring continues to show vinyl receiving positive coverage in 85 percent of the articles in May. Stories ranged from the use of vinyl as a control for erosion to the use of vinyl by Polaroid Corporation in a pump-container for its PolaClear cleaning solution for computer screen filters. While these types of articles remain the most prevalent, articles regarding environmental issues such as chlorine and dioxin represented 9 percent of the articles -- a jump from 1-3 percent in previous months. Ten of these 11 articles presented a negative view of the vinyl industry. These articles appeared in both daily newspapers and industry magazines. CTL006676 2- - SIGNIFICANT COVERAGE Plastics Engineering, May 1993 - An article describing the "froth-flotation" process for separating different types of plastic, which was designed by Recovery Processes International and is in commercial use at Hoechst Celanese's recycling facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The article states that with the new method, materials to be separated are suspended in water and air is forced through to create a bubble-like froth that entraps one of the materials (due to different water surface tensions). According to the article, this technology can separate 15 million pounds/year of plastic waste. Journal of Commerce/Knight Ridder, May 27,1993 -- An overview article which states Germany's recycling program fosters reduced packaging, as well as recovery and reuse of plastic. The article notes that by the end of 1992, 80 billion packaging units -- close to 90 percent of all packaging - displayed a green dot indicating manufacturers and distributors who have disposal agreements with the Duales System. A survey of 400 of the System's licensees indicates that companies participating in the survey had reduced packaging by about 25 percent and that "hard to recycle" materials are being replaced by others more suitable for recycling. The system intends to charge higher fees for packaging that is more difficult to sort and process as of October 1. The article states that plastic will be 16 times higher than the fee for glass. Financial Times, May 26, 1993 -- A brief story about the Body Shop's recent environmental report - a part of its annual reporting process. The UK-based retailer's "green book," as it's called in the article, outlines an "environmental" agenda for the organization through February of 1994. According to the article, plans include eliminating the use of PVC, reducing the impact of packaging, and conducting an environmental review in all subsidiaries and overseas franchises. VI Coverage for the reporting period included: "World of Packaging Solutions" Brochure Plastics Engineering, May 1993 Vinyl Institute/Pro-active Packaging Techpack, May 3, 1993 Vinyl Institute/Comments on Tellus Study BioCycle, April 1993 Vinyl Institutc/Recvcling Report Card Plastics News, May 17, 1993 Vinyl Institute/Recvcline Pilot Programs Prepared Foods, May 1993 CTL006677 1 -3Waste Alternatives Inc./Vinvl Institute Agreement Packaging Technology & Engineering, May 1993 Request for Proposals Plastics Engineering, May 1993 Waste Recovery Report, May 1993 null tflffr CTL006678