Industry Initiative for Recycling of PVC Products in Japan
Shigetaka Seki
Vinyl Environmental Council, Japan, 1-4-1 Shinkawa Chuo-ku, Tokyo 1040033 Japane-mail: seki@vec.gr.jp; phone: +81-3-3297-5601

Abstract
To facilitate recycling, not only conducting R&D but also creating efficient recycling systems — involving collection andprocessing recyclates as well as finding appropriate end-uses — all are essentially important. PVC has an advantage inparticular in mechanical recycling as compared to other major plastics, however, there is no one-size fits all approach.
Specific situations of the used or off-cut products and the applications need to be well studied. Vinyl industry in Japan has
devoted itself for many years to the promotion of recycling vinyl products.
Various technologies have been developed including some which are actually commercially operating. Some newdevelopments include mechanical recycling for products like wall covering and tarpaulin which were considered difficult torecycle. There was also progress in chemical recycling with a technology to remove chlorine from shredder dusts.
Recovery of chlorine is a major challenge for the future. Collaboration among various players involved in recycling of aspecific product is essential for success.

Keywords: Mechanical recycling; Chemical recycling; R&D; Industry initiative

1. Introduction
A strong environmental advantage of PVC products, ascompared with those made of other plastics, is their longlife and their recyclability even after decades of use. In
Japan PVC industry started an initiative six years ago toactively promote the recycling of various types of PVC
products. As new recycling technologies emerge andsome became operational since then, PVC products are
now well recognized as environmentally friendly goods.

2. Industry Initiative
PVC industry in Japan launched an initiative called"Recycle Vision" in 2007 as its commitment to recyclingof PVC products. It started a program to support R&D tofacilitate the introduction of new recycling technologies.
The R&D support is to cover half of the expenditure foran emerging technology which has a high potential ofpractical application in near future but still needs some
additional efforts of developments and/or testing. Theprogram is unique in the sense that not the public sector
but a private sector supports R&D activities with is own
resources. Project proposals are assessed by anindependent board which consists of scholars inrecycling and industry experts. The Vinyl EnvironmentalCouncil (VEC), which runs the program, decides whether
it adopts a proposal based on the recommendations
proposed by the board.
Seven projects were completed by April 2013 whichchronologically include 1) separation of PVC compoundand fibers out of wall coverings and tarpaulin (MR), 2)
recycling of tile carpets (MR), 3) production of active
charcoal from wall coverings (FR), 4) fractal shape
artificial forest (shades) from rigid PVC (MR), 5) reuse of
PVC backings of used tile carpet as thickener (MR), 6)
removal of chlorine from automobile shredder dusts for
cement production (FR) and 7) pealing off PVC
compounds from tarpaulin sheet edges. Among thesefour [1), 2), 6) and 7) are in operation and one is under
weathering testing (4)]. Legend: MR = Materials
Recycling; FR = Feedstock Recycling.
It is encouraging to see that new MR technologies
emerge for composite products which were regarded
difficult to recycle as material. The separated PVC
compounds are used together with virgin PVC and/or
other used PVC products such as cable sheaths toproduce masking mats for construction sites, for anexample.

3. For a Successful Recycling
Economy is always key for successful recycling. It istherefore essential to carefully study specific cases toconfirm key elements such as stable supply of used or
off-cuts PVC products, the demands for the recyclates
and the costs of processing/conversion as well as oftransportation. When VEC receives soundings of a
project proposal, it carefully conducts such a study andoften plays as a matchmaker to connect potential
suppliers and users of recyclates to improve thefeasibility of the project.

7th International Symposium on Feedstock Recycling of Polymeric Materials (7th ISFR 2013)
New Delhi, India, 23-26 October 2013