The sixth edition of the VinylPlus Sustainability Forum will take place on the May 16 and 17 in Madrid, Spain. “Meeting Societal Needs” is the theme for this year’s forum.

Population growth is a major issue worldwide. The society is facing, and will continue to face, critical challenges to fulfill basic societal needs in many areas such as infrastructure, water and energy supply, food, medical care for the ageing population etc. This year’s Forum will explore how the vinyl industry can provide concrete and sustainable solutions and contribute to human wellbeing.

The focus will be on policy frameworks and agreements by governments, political groups and industries to identify drivers that will incentivise businesses and their alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event will feature high-level speakers and representatives from the EU institutions, the United Nations, academia, politicians, specifiers, designers, architects, recyclers and the PVC value chain, who will debate on the potential of the industry to deliver on sustainable prosperity and exchange views on how the vinyl sector can help to meet essential needs of a growing global population.

On the way to a more sustainable society we need high quality and affordable products which are accessible to a large segment of the population. The whole value chain must work together to provide quality and durable products which, at the end of their useful life, can be recycled and reintroduced back into the economy for the benefit of the consumer and society as a whole. Here the role of industry voluntary commitments such as VinylPlus is crucial.