Making Vinyl Europe 2024

The general approach to sustainability in our industry has been a hot topic since years. It is now time to focus on several aspects of ecological and sustainable management. Material being the most obvious. With different collection schemes in place in different regions, recycling facilities existing in different efficiency and media rightfully investigating into f.e. waste export issues plastic has been moved into a corner of defense. Industry associations trying to change the narrative of ’plastic is bad’ and on the other side initiatives demanding to ban all plastics. In our daily business we very often are confronted with claims and statements weighing out different plastics, mostly PVC, PET and PE/PP. Recycling is being talked over from different perspectives but most of the times a clear vision of how recycling works, what collection schemes exist in different areas and how it actually is really done are rare. Most manufacturers have spent time and efforts in the past years to establish inhouse re-usage of excess materials to different extent and are actively engaging in marketing their efforts. This panel should shed light on two issues: Is plastic really that bad and where does the record manufacturing business sit in this industry? Which approaches promise to be successful and are truly ecological? And how can we help changing the narrative of plastic which requires to connect public discourse to the purpose of the product. In other words: a yoghurt pot is nothing like a vinyl record and how do we get this message across?