Less than a half-percent waste is still too much
Did you know that more than 99% of incoming raw material to the PVC roofing industry turns into usable products? The figure is 99.53% to be precise – leaving just 0.47% (less than a half-percent!) as waste. But the industry wants to do even better, which is how the Chemical Fabrics and Film Association’s (CFFA) Pathway to Zero Production Waste Initiative was born.
The goal of this groundbreaking initiative is to further increase the amount of PVC roofing production scrap that is recycled to reduce materials that end up in landfills and get as close to zero as possible as an industry. All member companies of the CFFA Vinyl Roofing Division (VRD) are voluntarily participating.
CFFA VRD members are individually taking steps to further reduce their amount of production trimmings and scrap as waste to landfills. Each month, members submit statistics on their recycling, repurposing, or reusing of the PVC roofing membrane. Statistics are totaled by a third party and will be published annually.
Recycling, repurposing, and reusing PVC roofing membrane production trimmings and scrap is not new. In 2023 alone, members recycled 19.8 million pounds of pre-consumer materials! What is new is the voluntary commitment by CFFA VRD members to further reduce production waste to the landfill.
Many manufacturers grind production trimmings and scrap to incorporate into new membrane or roofing accessories. The CFFA VRD has identified external recyclers and a network of partners to repurpose or reuse valuable production scrap, avoiding the landfill. Because of its polymer structure, PVC can be recycled and remade into new products over and over again.
In conjunction with Pathway to Zero, which focuses on pre-consumer/production scrap, the CFFA VRD is also stepping up efforts to encourage greater post-consumer recycling of PVC roofs at the end of their useful life. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it is also relatively inexpensive, especially when factoring in assistance with achieving green building certifications, meeting sustainability goals, and reducing or eliminating landfill fees.
For more information on PVC roofing, visit https://vinylroofs.org/sustainability/pathway-to-zero/.
