The Vinyl Institute (VI) submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) Request for Information on Industrial Decarbonization Priorities by describing how switching to smooth, non-corroding PVC pipe in municipal water systems would have a significant impact towards the administration’s decarbonization goals. The vinyl industry is well aligned with the interests of the AMO through the development of its deep decarbonization industry roadmap which is expected to complete in 2022.
“PVC pipes can be a solution to lowering the carbon footprint of our nation’s water infrastructure,” says Ned Monroe, president and CEO of the Vinyl Institute. “The difference in electrical power consumption between municipal water pumped through PVC pipe and two leading alternatives could power thousands of homes annually if applied across the entire network of piping across the country. Reducing power requirements for pumping water is a win-win for rate payers and the environment.”
The VI launched the Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC) in 2015 to serve as the collaboration platform which provides all members of the vinyl value chain an opportunity to participate in advancing sustainability efforts across the industry. The VI and VSC are continually seeking to advance sustainability, with a high priority set on the reduction of carbon intensity and direct emissions from the vinyl value chain.
The U.S. vinyl industry recycles more than 1.1 billion pounds of vinyl materials annually (958 million pre-consumer and 142 million post-consumer (non-packaging materials)). Through the efforts of the VSC, the U.S. vinyl industry has a goal of increasing the amount of post-consumer recycled vinyl materials by 15 million pounds by 2025. The VI and the VSC continue to strongly advocate for the vinyl value chain to responsibly increase the use of recycled content in PVC formulations as a means of reducing the carbon intensity of PVC products, while continuing to deliver safety and performance.
VI’s comments to the DOE Decarbonization Priorities RIF.