Interview with Dr Alexander Kronimus, VinylPlus Deutschland
Since 15 May 2025, Dr Alexander Kronimus has been Managing Director of Vinyl Plus Deutschland e.V., the voice of the PVC value chain and VinylPlus® in Germany. VinylPlus® is the European PVC industry's voluntary commitment to sustainable development. Kronimus was previously employed by the Association of Plastics Manufacturers, Plastics Europe Germany, where he headed the Climate Protection and Circular Economy division from 2022, was appointed to the management board in 2023 and was most recently Deputy Chief Executive. Prior to that, he gained ten years of experience as an energy management advisor at the Verband der Chemischen Industrie (German Chemical Industry Association, VCI). Another stage in his career included an internationally oriented project management role at the Dutch scientific institute TNO. Dr Kronimus studied geology and obtained a doctorate with a focusing on environmental sciences from RWTH Aachen University.
Sustainability can only succeed if the entire value chain works together. A converter must know the requirements of recyclers in order to design products that are recyclable – and conversely, recyclers must understand what qualities converters expect from recycled materials. |
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Dr Kronimus, you have now been heading the PVC industry association VinylPlus Deutschland for almost a year. The association covers the entire PVC value chain – from producers, additive manufacturers, processors, compounders, machine manufacturers and service providers to recyclers. What characterises the cooperation within the value chain? What are the special features of value chain work? What has been your experience?
To start with, my experience has been very positive across the board! Sustainability can only succeed if the entire value chain works together. A converter must know the requirements of recyclers in order to design products that are recyclable – and conversely, recyclers must understand what qualities converters expect from recycled materials. That is precisely why I am delighted to have started at VinylPlus Deutschland with the valuable seed capital of a united value chain. Through our dialogue formats, such as the PVC Symposium, I have the opportunity to connect technology developers – for example, from the field of sorting technology – with the PVC value chain in order to bring together technological developments and industry needs. Particularly in the case of innovative sorting processes, it is crucial to determine which sorting fractions can actually be recycled in a meaningful way. In our established format ‘PVC recyclers meet PVC converters’, new PVC recycling streams are created through personal exchange. The strength of a cooperating value chain lies in creating progress – by bringing together supply and demand along the various stages of the PVC value chain.
Regarding your material: What are the advantages of PVC, and in which applications does PVC score particularly well? Why does PVC obviously have a special status in politics/administration and in the public eye? The industry is currently under particular competitive pressure; are there any prospects in the short/medium term – if so, where?
PVC combines economic efficiency with sustainability, especially in the construction sector, where 70% of PVC is used. PVC is a durable and affordable material for door and window profiles, pipes, cable insulation, roof and façade accessories. But PVC also scores highly indoors with its easy-care, robust floor coverings and imitation leather. Both profiles and PVC applications indoors can be aesthetically integrated into any design concept thanks to their flexible design. PVC is not only an asset in new buildings, it is also a key advantage in building renovation. For example, energy-saving windows made of PVC are key to energy-efficient renovation. This is because they enable building energy efficiency to be increased at an economical cost through non-invasive installation. The window profiles offer decades of reliable use with minimal maintenance and are also recyclable.
The ease with which PVC can be processed makes it possible, for example, to create the finest structures on vinyl records, which remain preserved for many decades thanks to the durability of the material. In this area, too, there are sustainable and future-proof solutions in the form of recycling production residues and waste and the use of bio-based PVC compounds.
Smaller in terms of quantity but still socio-economically significant PVC applications can be found in healthcare, where PVC is the most important polymer. PVC blood bags and ventilator masks save lives every day. PVC pharmaceutical blister packs enable the proven and reliable packaging of pharmaceuticals. There are also other important applications, such as tarpaulins, sports and leisure articles.
In my view, the often-criticised chlorine content of PVC offers a decisive advantage for the transition to climate neutrality: the 57% chlorine content of PVC polymer does not need to be defossilised, a basic requirement for hydrocarbons on the path to climate neutrality. Furthermore, chlorine production by means of chlor-alkali electrolysis can be made virtually climate-neutral simply by using renewable electricity. These are two advantages that predominantly hydrocarbon-based plastics do not offer. This is often ignored in public debate.
The industry is indeed under strong competitive pressure. In order to create prospects in this area, I believe that competitive framework conditions are necessary, e.g. through more moderate energy prices, the reduction of bureaucracy and effective internal market supervision that ensures compliance with product specifications in accordance with European sustainability standards for imports.
What prompted the European PVC industry to initiate the voluntary commitment VinylPlus 2030? How are contributions to sustainable development, for example with regard to goals such as increasing circularity and CO2 reduction, measured and documented? Which measures are particularly effective in this regard in Germany/Europe, and where do you see a need for further action?
The initiative arose from the reason to make the PVC value chain more sustainable, for example by improving recycling, promoting progress in the environmental compatibility of additives across the industry, and reducing the environmental footprint of entire product life cycles.
Progress is measured at various levels. One is Recovinyl®, an organisation that ensures the monitoring, validation of collected data and reporting on PVC recycling and the use of PVC recyclate. In addition, as part of the commitment, the Additive Sustainable Footprint method was developed as an approach to assessing the sustainability of additives throughout their entire life cycle. Sustainability labels, such as the VinylPlus® Product Label, are based on transparent criteria.
The overall progress of the commitment is documented in the annual VinylPlus® Progress Report. An independent monitoring committee, consisting of representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament, academic institutions and a consumer protection organisation, monitors the implementation of the commitment and thus validates the results published in the Progress Report. Data quality is improved by the constant expansion of the network of reporting recyclers and converters.
VinylPlus has long been committed to a circular economy and the recycling of PVC waste. What concrete successes have you seen in Germany in recent years, for example in the mechanical recycling of post-consumer waste such as window construction products or pipes?
Despite a challenging economic environment, PVC recycling in Europe remained stable at approximately 725,000 tonnes of recycled PVC waste in 2024. Germany stands out in particular with Rewindo, the recycling initiative for old PVC windows, doors and roller shutters. The recycling rate for old PVC windows recently reached a peak of 87 per cent of the collectable and available quantity. This success is both a benchmark and an incentive for other countries and PVC waste streams. Other sectors, such as floor coverings and cables, also contribute to PVC recycling. Pipe recycling is organised within the network of the Plastic Pipe Association.
However, recycling is not the ultimate goal of the circular economy. For example, there are reusable solutions for PVC exhibition flooring, and PVC processors are working on design optimisations, such as reusing components from old products, enabling consistent product performance with less material and resource use, or increased product performance with consistent resource use.
In Germany, various players are working on recycling solutions for mixed and ‘difficult’ PVC waste. Which ‘industry solutions’ or collaborations do you consider particularly effective in further increasing recycling potential and sustainability? Are there any current research projects?
The accelerated expansion of PVC recycling to as many sectors as possible is highly desirable. In the construction sector, demolition companies need centralised collection systems such as Rewindo. VinylPlus Deutschland is currently evaluating the establishment of collection systems for floor coverings and roofing accessories.
Mechanical processes form the backbone of PVC recycling. However, further processes must be developed for the future. In 2024, VinylPlus® developed a solvent-based process for recycling PVC-aluminium pharmaceutical blister packs as part of its in-house PharmPack project in collaboration with Fraunhofer IVV. On a technical scale, PVC and aluminium fractions as well as barrier layers could be cleanly separated from each other. The PVC recyclate obtained from this process was incorporated into pharmaceutical films at a proportion of 30% in a test environment. Regulatory requirements do not yet allow such films containing post-consumer recyclate to be used in pharmaceutical packaging. However, these project results have demonstrated the technical feasibility of a closed loop for PVC pharmaceutical blister packs. VinylPlus Deutschland is setting up a collection system for post-consumer blister waste in a pilot project with hospital pharmacies, as this is currently the only way to ensure that pharmaceutical packaging waste is completely emptied, thus preventing its release into the environment during recycling.
Chemical processes such as gasification and pyrolysis are also being researched. For example, in a joint project between VinylPlus® and ARCUS Greencycling, PVC-containing waste streams were recycled in an industrial trial at the ARCUS plant in Frankfurt, producing three tonnes of pyrolysis oil that met current specifications. The chlorine content too can also be recovered through wet or dry flue gas cleaning during the thermal treatment of PVC waste and used, for example, as a raw material in chemical production.
Last but not least, where do you see the PVC industry in the future? What need for action/current necessities can be derived from this? And what message would you like to convey policymakers?
PVC will continue to serve as a high-performance, durable, low-maintenance, economical and recyclable raw material in construction, architecture, healthcare and other sectors. One key application is in energy-efficient building renovation. Taking into account Scope 1 and 2 emissions from the building sector, this accounts for 30% of CO2 emissions in Germany and Europe. In order to achieve climate targets, the renovation rate must increase from the current level of less than 0.7% to at least 2%. Products such as PVC energy-saving windows in this regard offer high performance at economical prices.
Much has been achieved in terms of the sustainability of PVC products, whether in production, the use of additives or in the circular economy. However, there is still much to be done. This is the task of the PVC industry and VinylPlus®.
I believe that it is the responsibility of politicians to create a competitive framework for sustainable production. Concrete proposals for appropriate political measures have been submitted by industry associations such as BDI, VCI and Plastics Europe Germany.
Furthermore, I appeal to political decision-makers to recognise the opportunities that PVC offers for the transition to climate neutrality and, if necessary, to reconsider any reservations they may have about chlorine-based chemical products. Significant progress has been made in this sector over the decades. At the political level, the advantages of chlorine as a non-fossil resource that can easily be made climate neutral should be recognised. VinylPlus Deutschland is happy to act as an interface for organising company visits for political decision-makers in order to make the modern PVC value chain, including the circular economy, concrete, understandable and tangible.
Dr Kronimus, thank you very much for the interview!
(March, 2026, Photo: © VinylPlus Deutschland)