The Vinyl Game
Game URL: www.vinylgame.com/

Developer: Zelian

Non-Profit: Vinyl 2010 commissioned/funded development

Release Date: May 2008

Project Lead: Chris Welton

Funding Sources: Vinyl 2010 (the sustainable development voluntary commitment of the European PVC indstry)

Sponsors/In-kind donations:

Budget:
Overall: 20,000
Secured: 20,000

Brief Description
Can you manage an industry sustainably? The Vinyl Game requires you to deliver shareholder profits whilst taking socio-economic and environmental decisions. The consequences of playing purely for economic growth become apparent as EU legislators levy fines, consumers boycott products and the trade unions vote to take strike action!

Full Description
The Vinyl Game challenges players to manage a virtual plastics industry whilst balancing economic growth against sustainable development. As you play, you are required to build factories and ramp up production to make the profit that shareholders demand, whilst taking the socio-economic and environmental decisions required to run your own PVC industry in a socially responsible way. The consequences of playing purely for economic growth without regard to production safety, environmental impacts or issues such as post-use recycling become apparent as society in the virtual scenario responds to lack of corporate social responsibility. The EU legislators levy fines, consumers boycott products and the trade unions vote to take strike action! Players report feeling genuinely informed and more knowledgeable about the issues as a result of playing. The colourful, Flash-based, game has been designed to reflect the genuine sustainable development challenges faced by the PVC plastic industry and addressed in their Vinyl 2010 10-year voluntary commitment. Whilst the scenario is simplified for the purposes of fun gameplay, it nevertheless reflects the full breadth of the challenges and succeeds in illustrating how a Voluntary Commitment approach like Vinyl 2010 can strategically address the challenge of sustainable development for a whole product value chain. The game is fun to play with basic instructions and a choice of 3 increasingly challenging levels. English, German and Portugese versions have been produced to date.

Target Audience: Young adults within: public policymaking, academia, environmental NGO's, the plastics industry

Social Issues Addressed: economics, environment, Sustainable development,

Purpose:
Increased understanding of the importance of full material lifecycle assessment in making material/product choices; and the need for industry/government/society partnership initiatives to be able to meet environmental challenges

Metrics:
How? Hits online, feedback from players

What outcomes have been measured? Players enjoy playing and report feeling genuinely informed and more knowledgeable about the issues as a result of playing.


Press Coverage:
http://molleindustria.org/en/home http://www.plastics.fi/fin/ajankohtaista/?nid=8 http://www.enviro-solutions.com/dailynews/0-1-0-1-0-0-0-2-0-1-0-vinylgame. htm http://www.tiscali.de/mult/mult_center_vinyl_.117496282.html http://www.polimerica.it/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5109 http://www.gamesunit.de/pcms/artikel.pcms?artid=19431

Press Release URL: http://www.vinyl2010.org/Home/News


Public Contact Information
Name: Chris Welton
Email: chris.welton@plasticseurope.org

Press Contact Name: Lisa McCooey
Press Contact Email: lmccooey@cambre-associates.com

Game Tags: Vinyl 2010 PVC Vinyl Plastic Sustainable development Green procurement Eco-label Life cycle assessment LCA

Where you can play this game: http://www.vinylgame.com/ http://www.vinyl2010.com/ Playable online