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EPA Director Steen Gade praises Danish PVC manufacturers
These environmental improvements have, however, been brought about due to political pressure, says Gade.
03-09-2001
In an article published on the Danish Environmental Protection Agency website (article in Danish), the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Steen Gade, praises a number of Danish PVC manufacturers. This article, which has been sent to the Danish business newspaper Erhvervsbladet, is a reply to an article about PVC windows, run by Erhvervsbladet on 16 August..
In the article in Erhvervsbladet, the President for the association of Danish manufacturers of PVC windows accused the Danish environmental authorities for being responsible for the stagnating sales of PVC windows in Denmark. Erhvervsbladet reports that the window manufacturers have now launched an information campaign to counteract the political pressure levelled against them. This campaign includes advertisements, brochures, and a new website at www.plastvinduer.com. The objective of this campaign is to refute many of the myths and rumours associated with use and disposal of PVC windows.
In response to the criticism expressed by the window manufacturers, Steen Gade says: “I think the industry has made great efforts to replace environmentally harmful substances with other, less harmful substances. The environment benefits greatly from the fact that window manufacturers have now replaced two heavy metals, cadmium and lead, with less environmentally harmful substances. This is entirely in keeping with the government’s PVC policies.”
Steen Gade also expresses his respect for those Danish enterprises seeking to develop alternative technologies for PVC waste disposal. He states that “it is absolutely crucial that new methods are developed so that we can recycle PVC waste in an environmentally friendly manner: A few PVC companies have responded to this challenge in a very impressive way, and hopefully an alternative method will be ready in a few years’ time.
In his article, Steen Gade also addresses issues regarding manufacturers’ responsibilities. The Director of the Danish Environmental Protection Agency believes that PVC manufacturers have a responsibility for ensuring that we resolve our environmental problems. Gade feels that even though PVC companies now manufacture less environmentally harmful products, the industry is still responsible for ensuring that solutions are found as regards safe disposal of the old products that are now becoming waste and which contain undesirable substances.
Despite his praise for segments of the Danish PVC industry, Steen Gade also states that he does not believe that industries will make much progress in today’s Denmark by applying a strategy where the environmental authorities are blamed when things go wrong. “I am convinced that political pressure is the very reason that we have achieved a number of much-needed environmental improvements within the PVC area,” says Steen Gade.
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