Polyflor SA has recycled more than 4 tonnes of vinyl floor off-cuts since it launched the initiative at the end of last year, thereby allowing the local PVC industry to move forward with its sustainability goals as set out in SAVA’s (Southern African Vinyls Association) Product Stewardship Commitment. 

According to Tandy Coleman, CEO of Polyflor SA, the company’s initiative to recycle off cuts generated during the installation of vinyl floors, has been widely welcomed and well-supported by installers. “Diverting these off-cuts from landfill and sending them off to recyclers for use in the manufacture of rigid and flexible products such as pipes, cables, shoe soles and car mats, is of great environmental significance.  Good quality, clean materials that are void of any glues or substances can now be used to create new products with a useful service life instead of ending up in landfill or polluting the atmosphere,” Coleman says. 

According to SAVA CEO, Delanie Bezuidenhout, PVC manufacturers and consumers increasingly aim for the sustainable use of the product through all stages of its life cycle. “The promulgation of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act has placed great emphasis on recycling and the reduction of materials to landfill. To this end, SAVA and its members endeavour to create and participate in many community, industry and government programmes which are designed to ensure appropriate management of PVC products at the end-of-life.  We applaud this initiative of Polyflor that not only helps to increase the awareness of the fact that PVC is recyclable, but also delivers tangible and impressive result in a very short time frame when it comes to collecting and recycling end-of-life PVC,” she says. 

Polyflor contractors receive specially branded bags for their vinyl floor off-cuts, which are then returned to the Polyflor SA head office for weighing and collection by recyclers. “Our aim is to increase our recycling rate by 100% % by the end of 2017 which will have a significant impact on SAVA’s aim of increasing the recycling of post-consumer PVC-P to 15000 mt per annum, and the recycling of post-consumer PVC-U to 10000 mt per annum,” Tandy concludes. 

For more information, visit www.polyflor.co.za and www.savinyls.co.za

Tandy Coleman, CEO of Polyflor SA, was selected to share her journey to success in a brand-new book entitled, “Expert Mavericks”, compiled by international Laughter & Happiness Professor, Shareen Richter. This publication showcases thirteen extraordinary individuals - each one a maverick in their field - and highlights their individual journeys, struggles and important life lessons learnt along the way.  Other personalities featured in the book include hip-hop artist Cassper Nyovest, Craig Wing, a futurist who worked at Google and Air Mauritius Regional Manager Carla Da Silva. 

According to Richter, a maverick is someone who is a visionary, someone who creates change in communities, and who creates change in people’s lives. Someone who can impact a few or impact a thousand. 

“I put together this book because I wanted to showcase how incredible South Africans are, how taking ordinary people with a passion and a dream, you can achieve anything and become anything. There is so much opportunity in South Africa and the intention of this book is to inspire others to be the best that they can be and to be a maverick in any area that they choose. Each one of the mavericks is completely different from each other,” Richter said.  

A portion of book sales is going to the Smile Foundation, an NGO that assists children with treatable facial anomalies like cleft palates and other conditions.

Commenting on how she feels about being featured in the book, Coleman says: “I was incredibly humbled when Shareen first approached me to share my story with her for inclusion in the book.  Whilst I never regarded myself as one of the giants in business, she convinced me that I do have a story to tell of how I learnt from my mistakes, grew from my successes, and used these lessons to become the best version of me I could be. I relish any opportunity I get to give back to the community, and to be able to make a difference in other people’s lives.  Being part of this book was very uplifting and special and will hopefully help to inspire and help other aspiring business leaders,” she concluded.

ENDS