VinylRecycling

Most of our businesspartners know us as BessTrade. We changed that name as it no longer covered the load! We do much more than trading, actually that has become an afterthought. At vinylrecycling.com, we are working towards the future. Not only ours, but also that of our children. We think it is unnecessary to keep burning beautiful materials. PVC is very diverse, multi-purpose and very easy to recycle. We are constantly learning about polymer science, the world of additives, new recycling techniques and, of course, European legislation and regulations. What defines us most is that we are a family business. Because we cooperate intensively and have short communication lines, we can offer the same to our partners. Speed, transparency, solution-oriented is what we stand for! Ivo Besselsen, the founder, started trading PVC production scrap to Taiwan in 1973, where it went straight back into production as a raw material. This was a great success and the trade grew into several international trade routes. A lot has happened over the years. Particularly around the perception of PVC as a material. Greenpeace has been campaigning against what they see as very harmful PVC since the 1990s. The ferocity of this campaign still leaves its mark today. We recently changed our name from BessTrade to VinylRecycling, as it says it all! Through the years we gained a very strong expertise in PVC recycling and every type of waste is seen as a challenge, and with continuous dedication and innovation we search for pragmatic solutions to process or reuse this versatile material. We act global and partner up with production plants all over the world to find solutions for their production scrap, or to find ‘recycled’ alternatives for their compounds and raw materials. Whether it is rigid, soft, plastisol or powder; our goal to find a solution for all types! Our mission is twofold! First, we want to be Europe’s most innovative PVC recycler! Created out of necessity, because every day large quantities of PVC end up in landfills. Or even worse, in the incinerator. The second part, inherent to innovation, is sharing knowledge to create awareness. We share our knowledge with anyone who wants to hear it. We want as many people as possible to know about PVC and its versatility. Producers and users are constantly confronted with the prejudices surrounding the use of PVC. Stories about the harmful plasticizers and the highly toxic chlorine gas released when it is burnt. It is not surprising that most people believe and repeat what has been dictated in the media for so long, forgetting to check the facts. We understand that it is a bit boring to delve into polymer science and read all the REACH and PubMed documents. The truth about plasticizers is that some are indeed dangerous to human health, but not all of them! There are hundreds of different types, with different chemical characteristics. Only a handful of them have been assessed, researched and are now subject to special regulation by REACH. That means they are under strict scrutiny, and cannot be used by European manufacturers, because REACH only applies to European countries. Regarding chlorine gases, they are only released during combustion, when the chain breaks. This is why it is so important not to incinerate PVC, but to recycle and reuse it continuously! With all the rules that are constantly changing, it often feels like I’m running a start-up with 50 years of experience! Everything we do is in line with European legislation. We work closely with IL&T and OVAM to stay informed and know what’s happening in the market. However, we strive for innovation, and this means we push the envelope where we can. We challenge ourselves and the industry to be better! We are member of RecoVinyl, Plastics Recyclers and the Dutch NRK.