The Facts About Vinyl

PVC or vinyl, as it is sometimes called, is an extremely cost-effective, versatile material and its uses are diverse.  With a myriad of applications in almost all walks of life, PVC is one of the best examples of a modern material adapting to the needs of an ever changing society. Every day, PVC is meeting human needs.

Unlike most other plastics PVC is not 100% derived from oil but is in fact 57% based on chlorine from salt – a natural and abundant material. It has been estimated that there are over 50 quadrillion tons of dissolved salt in the Earth’s seas, enough to put a layer of salt around the world 150 feet thick.  Chlorine, let us not forget, is an important material in its own right - not only does it contribute to the production of PVC, but is used to produce a variety of other products. In fact, 85% of medicines, including life saving drugs, are made using chlorine.

The other 43% of course is derived from oil, but PVC manufacture only accounts for about 0.3% of the world’s total oil production. Nevertheless, ever mindful of the industry’s dependence upon a non renewable resource, several major PVC manufacturers have commissioned plants in South America to develop cost-effective ways of manufacturing ethylene from sugar cane.

PVC is a very versatile and robust plastic that serves many useful purposes to enhance the quality of our lives. Society has found hundreds of uses for polyvinyl chloride, the plastic referred to simply as “vinyl” or “PVC”. Chances are you will come into contact with at least one item made from PVC every day.

PVC is used in a wide range of applications. There are virtually no limits to how PVC can be used in construction applications. Rigid or flexible, it will not corrode or rot; offers high strength and is lightweight; can be extruded or moulded into shapes from wafer thin films to strong sheet, or fabricated into high impact profiles and can be made available in a wide range of colors, finishes and textures.  PVC based products are in everyday use; in flooring, walling, pipes carrying water supply, electrical cabling and food packaging. Credit cards are made out of PVC and it plays an important role in healthcare. Medical blood, intravenous bags and surgical tubing are made from PVC: the ideal material for safely storing and delivering life-giving blood, nutrients and medicines to the sick and injured.

No material is 100% sustainable and PVC, like all other materials, has its problems. The PVC Industry recognizes its shortcomings and has been pro-active in its approach to Sustainable Development. In many ways you could almost say that the criticisms leveled about the sustainability of PVC have benefitted the consumer. PVC is now the world’s most thoroughly researched and tested plastic with over 50 years of safe use in society. PVC meets all international standards for safety and health for the applications in which it is used.

Long-life PVC based applications such as flooring can offer many environmental benefits. A typical vinyl floor covering such as safety flooring can easily last up to 25 years. In fact the vast majority of vinyl floors are replaced not because they have worn out, but because the customer wants a different color or has a change of brand image.  Vinyl flooring is durable, requires low maintenance, is easy to recycle and clean, and its hygienic qualities, coupled with impervious jointing, make it essential in sensitive areas such as hospitals and clinics to aid infection control.

Life cycle assessment is now the recognized method by which to compare the environmental impact of competing materials. All materials will undoubtedly perform well over some aspects of their life cycle and not so well in others. A life cycle assessment considers the whole life of a product typically from cradle to grave and is the basis of some European green standards.  PVC based floor coverings achieve the highest possible A+ ratings in these standards for areas of health and education. These environmental ratings confirm what the vinyl industry has always known to be true, that when considered over their entire life time, PVC based floor products perform as well or better than other competing materials.

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