Big things are brewing in the “Big Easy.”
With the December Vinyl Sustainability Summit 2025 in New Orleans, LA, around the corner, the Polymeric Exterior Products Association’s (PEPA) Revinylize Recycling Collaborative™ is excited to announce a major launch ahead of the Summit that brings together innovation, community impact and a bold vision for nationwide recycling.
At the heart of this collaborative initiative is our recycling program’s newest partner, Denver-based Brave/Direct Polymers. Along with Recycle By Design, they’re helping Revinylize lay the groundwork for a scalable, coast-to-coast system for post-consumer rigid vinyl recycling. Their expertise and infrastructure make them an ideal fit for Revinylize’s mission – to make it as easy as possible to recycle vinyl material by building connections between stakeholders at each step of the waste disposal process, helping to divert and reclaim as much vinyl material as possible away from landfills.
And New Orleans is the perfect place to kick things off. (By perfect, we’re not talking about an early Mardi Gras celebration).
We’re putting boots on the ground and siding on homes. In partnership with the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, Revinylize is helping reside three existing structures in the Big Easy.
These homes will receive brand-new vinyl siding (courtesy of project co-sponsor CertainTeed) and a significant energy efficiency upgrade, thanks to Progressive Foam’s cutting-edge technology that incorporates foam insulation and air sealing.
It’s a win-win for homeowners and the environment.
The launch also marks a deeper collaboration with JP Industrial, a key player in the recycling space, with operations in Ohio, North Carolina and Dallas. Their involvement strengthens Revinylize’s logistics and processing capabilities, ensuring that the materials collected are handled responsibly and efficiently. As part of the New Orleans project, JP Industrial will process the old siding collected by Brave/Direct Polymers. And joining our generous partners and sponsors (Brave/Direct Polymers, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, CertainTeed, Progressive Foam and JP Industrial) in this landmark Revinylize launch is the Vinyl Institute, which has been an industry leader in advancing PVC sustainability.
What makes this project truly exciting is the timing. With the Vinyl Sustainability Summit 2025 approaching—and taking place in New Orleans—we’re setting the stage for a powerful example of what sustainable vinyl practices can look like in action.
From recycling infrastructure to community revitalization, this project highlights the Revinylize program’s commitment to circularity, innovation and a healthier planet. A case study and media campaign will document the project from start to finish, culminating in a showcase at the December Summit. Additionally, a video capturing the project and case study will be released in January 2026 as part of PEPA’s Industry Insider webinar series.
Why This Matters
The Revinylize launch in New Orleans will demonstrate how post-consumer rigid vinyl siding can be removed, recycled and repurposed to help achieve a circular economy – diverting waste from landfills, reducing the carbon footprint and building healthier, more sustainable communities – one home, one project, one city at a time.
New Orleans marks the fifth Revinylize expansion launch over the last year, following Louisville (November 2024), St. Louis (March), Nashville (April) and Corsicana, Texas (July). As part of the Revinylize Louisville project, approximately 2,500 lbs. of vinyl siding were recycled from a single home, saving contractors up to $1,000 in estimated disposal costs, and establishing a system where one local contractor alone could “Revinylize” up to 60,000 lbs. of post-consumer siding annually.
Stay tuned for more updates as organizers roll out this new initiative in NOLA, as the growing Revinylize Recycling Collaborative is ready to plug in.
Revinylize is the brainchild of the Polymeric Exterior Products Association (PEPA), with support from PEPA members, other industry trade associations and our growing collaborative of recyclers, distributors, municipalities and other passionate partners who share our vision for more sustainable homes made from recycled materials. Our first mission goal – to recycle 5 million pounds of post-consumer siding by the end of 2025 was achieved ahead of schedule in just six months this past June!
For more information or to join the movement, contact Matt Dobson, Senior Vice President of PEPA, at mdobson@polymericexteriors.org.
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Don Browne is a writer, entrepreneur and local legislator who believes that the power of words can change the world. He provides unique writing services for clients in the construction, health care, IT and hospitality sectors. He has a passion for small business and start-ups, as well as writing about Irish history, family and corporate biographies. As a homeowner and father of four who is passionate about community development, Don looks forward to writing more about the exciting possibilities of creating traditional neighborhoods and more sustainable communities using modern materials.