Polyflor SA and Innovative Pvc Compounds (IPC), both members of the Southern African Vinyls Association(SAVA), joined hands recently to ensure that 7.5 tons of vinyl floor off-cuts are collected, of which 6 tons were recycled, following an installation at the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital – a new R3bn hospital in KwaMashu that is scheduled to open its doors by December 2019.

About the project
The 500-bed regional hospital named in the honour of Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme, one of the first black lawyers in South Africa and a founding member of the African National Congress (ANC), is the largest hospital currently in development in South Africa.  It is situated near Bridge City Mall (a new mixed-use precinct that serves as a business, commercial and transportation hub for the eThekwini Municipality) and will be amongst the largest public healthcare facilities in the country once it is completed. The new development forms part of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health Hospital Revitalisation Programme. It will provide 1.5 million people living in KwaMashu, Inanda, Ntuzuma and surrounding communities in the northern Durban catchment area with a full spectrum of medical services.

The power of networking
Polyflor SA, one of South Africa’s leading suppliers of vinyl sheeting and luxury vinyl tiles to the healthcare-, retail-, education- and commercial industries, was awarded the contract to supply more than 35 000 m² of vinyl sheeting at the hospital. Polyflor SA  launched  the country’s only official programme that recycles vinyl sheeting off-cuts generated during installations in 2016. The company’s contractors are given specially branded recycling bags in which they place the off-cuts, in order to be returned to the company’s head office in Sebenza, Johannesburg, for weighing and recording and collection by recyclers.  “Upon hearing of our involvement in the project through our networking at SAVA and given the fact that it was literally taking place on their doorstep, IPC offered to assist us with the recycling of the off-cuts at their premises,” comments Tandy Coleman, CEO of Polyflor SA. “Their involvement in this project made the entire process considerably shorter and easier to manage”.

Stepping out and stepping up
IPC is a family-run vinyl compounds supplier based in Durban. Established in 2010, they are one of the PVC compounders who supply their products nationwide, as well as internationally, for the manufacturing of footwear, safety shoes, gumboots, wire coating, floor tiles, electrical and plumbing fittings, for the moulding and extrusion industries.  “Although recycling of vinyl products is not a core focus of our business, we do encourage our customers to allow us to reprocess any, if not all, of their off-cuts in view of maintaining a sustainable environment. Vinyl floor off-cuts are a valuable source of clean, top quality material that holds high recycling value. For this reason, we were eager to assist Polyflor by collecting, reprocessing and recycling the material at our facility in Phoenix Industrial Park in Durban, before supplying it back into the industry as compounds for the footwear sector”, explains Mubeen Siddiqi, CEO and Director at IPC.

State of PVC recycling in SA
Adri Spangenberg, CEO of the Southern African Vinyls Association, applauded both companies for their pro-active approach and supporting the industry to reach its recycling targets.  https://www.pressportal.co.za/2938150d-64a9-4ae9-90e7-2b2c64a393a4" width="213" height="140" />“PVC recycling in South Africa has seen 16.4 % year-on-year growth in during 2018, whilst the virgin consumption increased 2.3 % in the same period.  20 778 tons of PVC were recycled in South Africa, of which 80 % was flexible and 20 % rigid vinyl products. Because the recycling process does not measurably decrease the chain length of PVC molecules, vinyl products can be recycled repeatedly up to 8 times - depending on the application. For this reason, the vinyls industry has been working very hard to boost collection of waste,  optimise recycling technologies and boost the percentage of recyclate in new products,” she says.  Footwear continues to be the biggest market application (43%) for recycled, flexible PVC, followed by pipes (23%), flooring and cables (both 12%). Other applications for recycled PVC include speed bumps, traffic cones, gum boots, vehicle heel mats and rubber edging used around pet bowls.

Plans for future collaboration
Both Polyflor SA and IPC agree that the project was a huge success and that they are eager to collaborate on similar projects in future.  “It is Polyflor’s vision to minimise carbon emissions as much as possible, as well as being socially and economically responsible. Partnering with IPC on this recycling project enabled us to deliver an additional service to the client that was greatly appreciated. It also saved us time, money and kept our carbon footprint as small as possible because the materials did not have to be transported up to Gauteng for reprocessing. It is also hugely encouraging to know that the valuable material was effectively recycled and continued to add value in its second life!”, Tandy concludes. 

This past year, Polyflor SA once again partnered with the Carte Blanche Making a Difference Trust to help refurbish the paediatric facilities and services for trauma and burns patients at Ngwelezana Hospital, by donating flooring and wall protection products and services valued at close to R400 000.00. According to Tandy Coleman, CEO of Polyflor SA, this project was very dear to her team’s hearts as it cares for and treats KZN’s littlest burn and trauma victims. “Children suffering the emotional and physical trauma of burns caused by paraffin stoves, open flames or candles falling over, is a harsh reality and an occurrence that happens all too often in South Africa. Burns patients require very intense and specialised care to avoid potentially fatal infections and, in most cases, also skin grafts to repair the damaged tissue. Upon hearing of the desperate need to upgrade the paediatric facilities at Ngwelezana Hospital, we were delighted to confirm our involvement in this worthy project,” Tandy says.  

About Ngwelezane Hospital 

Situated approximately 20km from Richards Bay in northern KwaZulu-Natal, the Ngwelezana Hospital is a 554-bed facility that provides district, regional and tertiary services to densely populated communities from the King Cetshwayo, Umkhanyakude and Zululand districts. It is also the referral centre for children who have suffered burns, trauma requiring surgery and orthopaedic care. Prior to the refurbishment, all paediatric burns and trauma cases at Ngwelezane Hospital were treated in the Adult Burns Ward, which allocated 21 of its 38 beds for younger patients.  

Small (corporate) actions making a big difference

Above and beyond the seed capital of R10.3 million contributed to the Carte Blanche Making a Difference Trust by South32 to initiate this project, Polyflor SA was one of thirty companies who generously donated material, equipment, services and advice to help realise the dream of creating a brand-new, 22-bed Paediatric Burns Unit. With the help of Sakhiwo Infrastructure Solutions, and architects the Hospital Design Group, Ngwelezana Hospital’s Paediatric Burns Unit was created as a state-of-the-art facility that is able to provide a range of care options – ranging from general patient to high care and isolated ICU rooms.  It now also has the best purpose-fit medical equipment, essential clinical dry and wet treatment areas and custom-designed air treatment facilities which are required for the optimal treatment of burns patients.

Polyflor’s donation comprised of Pearlazzo PUR sheeting in Mineral, Sunrise, Purple Crush (515 m2),Hydro Evolve 2mm in Tigris (40 m2), Polysafe Verona 2mm in Horizon Blue (80 m2), welding rods, coving and capping strips, wall guards and corner guards. Beautiful waterjet cut-outs of typical African images, such as giraffe, buck, tortoises, bunnies and clouds using the Gradus SureProtect Endure wall protection range, transformed the facility into a highly functional, yet bright, happy space that improves staff morale, aids in the small patients’ recovery process and is unlike any other hospital in the world.

Looking back at our involvement with Carte Blanche’s MAD Projects over the past 10 years, it has truly been an honour and a privilege to support such an initiative that improves and uplifts seriously neglected and under-resourced hospitals around South Africa.  It is wonderful knowing that our products have played a part in transforming the public paediatric healthcare landscape. The ripple effect of small acts of kindness, generosity and teamwork create a lasting and extraordinary impact,” Tandy concludes. 

For more information about Polyflor SA, visit www.polyflor.co.za  

Note to the editor: 

All photographs courtesy of M-NET Publicity. 

For more information about the Carte Blanche Making a Difference Trust, visit https://m-net.dstv.com/show/carte-blanche/news/the-mad-trust-ngwelezane-paediatric-unit-handover/news 

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

The Southern African Vinyls Association (SAVA) is pleased to welcome Chembridge Additives as new members.  This specialist distributor of plastic additives is based in Pretoria, and began its operations in 2008 as the appointed agent for Lanxess Germany GmbH and Tanatex Chemicals GmbH - servicing a multitude of industries.  

“We provide plastics additives, phosphorus, specialty chemicals such as organic and inorganic colorants and surfactants to a very wide range of industrial sectors.  Our focus is on the supply of high-quality additives and finishing chemicals for the plastic industry. These products improve the processability of ingredients and the properties of the end products. Our product portfolio includes flame retardants, plasticisers, bonding agents, blowing agents, and colourants. We distribute to all customers, big or small, in any quantity required throughout Southern Africa from our network of warehouses in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town,” explains Deon Steenkamp, owner of Chembridge Additives. 

Commenting on their motivation for joining SAVA, Steenkamp says that the Chembridge products and business philosophy align strongly with SAVA’s Product Stewardship Commitment (PSC).

“We heard about SAVA and the excellent work they are doing through our customers. We wanted to be associated with such a strong industry body that is committed to representing its members’ interests in the Southern Africa region by creating consumer confidence within the industry and by actively developing and sustaining markets for PVC. We are very excited about the prospects SAVA membership will afford our business and look forward to the networking opportunities with other members, which would most definitely have a positive impact on our business,” he said.

“SAVA is dependent on the backing and participation of its members, and we applaud Chembridge Additives for making the public commitment to sustainable practices by joining our ranks.  By steadily growing our membership, we are able to strengthen our voice and expand our influence in the marketplace on topics that have a direct impact on the future of our industry,” said Delanie Bezuidenhout, CEO of SAVA.

“The more we as the local PVC industry can work and stand together, the stronger we can grow.  We welcome any player who is willing to invest the energy, time and money needed to promote the vinyl industry, share ideas and address concerns.  In return, we offer our members a platform where they are equipped to protect their investments through knowledge.  They share a camaraderie that is envied by others and most of them are reaping the rewards of membership through constant business coming their way,” she concluded.

For more information on SAVA visit www.savinyls.co.za or on Chembridge Additives visit www.chembridgeadditives.co.za

The Southern African Vinyls Association (SAVA) is proud to announce that it has confirmed three of the world’s leading experts on PVC as speakers ahead of its Vinyls SA 2017 Conference that will be taking place on Wednesday, 7 June 2017 at the Hilton Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg.  

According to SAVA CEO, Delanie Bezuidenhout, this year’s event will build on the success of the Association’s first Vinyls SA 2014 Conference that took place on the back of the Global Vinyls Council’s (GVC) first bi-annual meeting hosted on the African continent.  

“Our first conference attracted more than 100 delegates from around the country and as far afield as Argentina! Like the first event, delegates who will be attending this year’s event can again look forward to a full and varied programme of original papers and presentations by visiting international and local experts who will be sharing the stage and their expertise on various matters relating to manufacturing, use and recycling of PVC,” Delanie says.  

Local and international PVC experts share the stage  

“This year, we are pleased to confirm that several of the world’s leading experts will be returning to South Africa to present their latest findings and research as it relates to PVC,” Delanie says. Confirmed speakers for the Vinyls SA 2017 conference include:  

• Peter Willis – Senior Associate, University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) who will be delivering the key-note address on the day.
• Ian Lilja – of the Vinyl Council of Australia (VCA), who will be delivering an update on the VCA Product Stewardship Programme
• Dr Brigitte Dero – General Manager of the European Council for Vinyl Manufacturers and VinylsPlus, who will be providing an expert overview of the European Regulatory and Policy Context
• Gerhard Kuhn – Senior Economist at the IDC, who will be looking at the South African Economy and the various opportunities and challenges it presents for the local PVC industry.
• Renier Snyman – DPI Plastics: SABS? SANS? SATAS? Navigating the world of standards!  

Industry Awards  

A highlight of the conference will be an awards session where SAVA will recognize the achievements and contributions made by individuals and SAVA member companies within the PVC industry. 

“We will be issuing the call for nominations shortly and are extremely excited about the awards session, a first for our industry, and also see it as an opportunity to publicly thank and recognize those industry champions who are passionate about guiding the PVC industry to achieve the goals we have set in terms of sustainability,” Delanie explains.  

Opportunity to get involved 

SAVA has issued a call for papers to the PVC industry and conference organisers are currently working through the submissions. The final programme will be released in April. “However, we will still consider late submissions if the content is topical, relevant and presents and interesting point of view,” Delanie says. 

Other ways in which to get involved in the Vinyls SA 2017 event, is through making the most of the various sponsorship opportunities available. 

“We have various packages available for companies who want to partner with us in the hosting of this prestigious event,” Delanie says.  Packages range from R50 000 for a Headline Sponsor, to R5 000 for a Bronze sponsorship. Limited exhibition opportunities are also available, as are advertising opportunities in the conference programme.   

“We know that the vinyls industry both locally and internationally is on the cusp of having to make important changes as it faces various challenges in an ever-evolving arena. The timing of this year’s event is therefore critical.  We encourage everybody who is in some way involved in, or associated with, the PVC industry to attend Vinyl SA 2017 as we learn from international best practice models, but also chart a way forward for our own course,” Delanie concludes.   

For more information or to register, visit www.savinyls.co.za or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

The Plastic Pipes Conference Association (PPCA) has announced dates and venue for its two spin-off conferences and exhibitions in South Africa and China for this year. The first event in South Africa will be held on 4 -5 September 2017 at the Emperors Palace in Johannesburg. The second will be hosted in Hangzhou, China on 26-27 October 2017.

The PPCA is organizing these events in close collaboration with the respective plastic pipe associations, namely the Southern African Plastic Pipe Manufacturers Association (SAPPMA) and the China Plastics Piping Association (CPPA). In South Africa, the conference will be held in conjunction with PIPES XI, the annual plastic pipes event organized by SAPPMA. At least ten papers will be included from the international Plastic Pipes Conference held in Berlin during 2016. For this reason, the duration of PIPES XI has been extended to two days.

Zoran Davidovski, spokesman for the events forecasts large attendances. “Our industry is in a constant process of innovative change as it finds new solutions for replacing aging steel and concrete pipe systems. In the midst of these improvements, industry and government are faced with the need for new technical standards.”

“Our conferences will showcase new developments and enable stakeholders to consider the international work that has been carried out in the field of standards, sustainability and experience. This will be particularly interesting for the South Africa and China markets.”

The Baerlocher Group is one of the major sponsors of both regional conferences. Molecor and Rollepaal have also confirmed their sponsorship participation at the Johannesburg event.

For South Africa, full details of program, registration, exhibition and sponsorship opportunities will be posted shortly on their website: www.sappma.co.za  

The CPPA will similarly publish the relevant information on: http://www.ppia-china.com/en/aboutme.asp?types=SQ  

Further Information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Note to editors: Member associations of the PPCA are the PE 100+ Association, Plastics Pipe Institute, PVC4Pipes and The European Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association (TEPPFA). PPCA conferences and exhibitions are self-financing and any profits re-invested in future conferences, educational tools or “spin-off” events