Senator Kim Carr among more than 30 speakers at PVC AUS 2018

More than 30 expert speakers from around the world will be sharing their insights into the latest technical, market and sustainability trends in the vinyl industry at PVC AUS 2018: Shaping the Future, including Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Kim Carr.

Organised by the Vinyl Council of Australia, the two-day vinyl conference will bring together Australasia’s vinyl value chain from 14–15 March at the Amora Hotel Jamison, Sydney. High-level international speakers at the event will explore the latest technical, market, innovation and sustainability trends impacting on Australasia’s PVC value chain.

Worth an estimated $3 billion, Australia’s growing PVC industry directly employs more than 2500 people. While around 85% of PVC is used in building and infrastructure products, from pipes to windows, the polymer’s versatility extends to myriad applications such as telecommunications, mining, health, food and agriculture, and consumer goods.

Opening the event on 14 March, Senator Carr will update around 130 delegates on the Labor Party’s future vision for supporting innovation and development within its manufacturing sectors. He will be followed by IHS Chemical Senior Director Eddie Kok, whose global outlook for PVC supply/demand will include expert analysis on pricing, supply/demand dynamics and whether supply will tighten in the next five years.

European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers (ECVM) Technical and Environmental Affairs Senior Manager Arjen Sevenster will explore sustainability developments in the European PVC industry and how the VinylPlus Voluntary Commitment is supporting the circular economy objectives for PVC. He will also discuss the ‘legacy substances’ issue, the development of an effective recycling system and an ‘Additives Sustainability Footprint’ methodology to evaluate the use of PVC additives from a sustainable development perspective.

Delegates will be updated on the American vinyl industry’s ‘journey of continuous improvement’ by Cristian Barcan, VP Sustainability & Industry Affairs at The Vinyl Institute. He will highlight current initiatives including an industry-wide materiality assessment, and how vinyl products can play a major leadership role in contributing to sustainable development.

Recycling is another key theme to be examined by speakers such as Dennis Collins, an Australian inventor of new recycling technologies for challenging waste materials. Creative concepts and sustainable designs for tackling end-of-life PVC will meanwhile be presented by Helen Millicer, the Vinyl Council’s Recycling Projects Manager, and Mark Richardson from Monash University.

“Our second conference, PVC AUS 2018: Shaping the Future, provides an unmatched opportunity for council members and their stakeholders to learn about industry trends and developments specific to the manufacturing, use and re-use of vinyl,” said Vinyl Council Chief Executive Sophi MacMillan.

To view the full conference program and register for the event, visit http://www.vinyl.org.au/news/pvc-aus-2018.

Pictured: Senator Kim Carr, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.