Humans and the environment
Growing populations, difficult living conditions in developing countries, the threat of climate change, limited resources, the enormous pressure of costs: all over the world, national governments are facing major challenges. And the world is demanding work able solutions for these urgent problems. Against this background, sustainability is very important. The PVC industry is facing this social, economic and ecological responsibility with great commitment. PVC products have proved their worth over many decades and have continuously been further developed. Because of its many material properties and its outstanding cost-benefit ratio, the plastic material has developed into a worldwide successful product with further growth potential.
Thanks to the unique range of its properties, PVC opens up extensive possibilities for innovation. The material offers progress and advantages to society in a variety of applications: from the health system and building technology to the development of everyday goods. The favourable life-cycle costs save money that can be sensibly used for ecological and social improvements.
Products from PVC have an impact on the environment during manufacturing, use and disposal just like those made of steel, glass or paper. In an overall comparison (life-cycle assessment, sustainability comparison), PVC products perform well – especially because of their durability and their comparatively low-energy requirements. Almost all of the overall evaluations published so far therefore reject phasing out PVC and recommend ecological improvements.
In the last few decades, PVC has been the subject of numerous discussions and a wide range of studies with regard to many different aspects of its life-cycle. The tone which emanated from a large number of independent studies was that PVC is an eco-efficient material that offers society permanent advantages over its entire life-cycle if controlled responsibly.
The low weight of the material leads to energy savings in areas of application such as packaging and transport. Lighter vehicles consume less fuel, lighter packaging leads to fuel savings in distribution, etc.
Because of the long life of PVC, a useful life of over 100 years can be assumed for some applications – in spite of the impact of solar radiation, heat or chemicals. Long-lasting products need less maintenance and show a highly efficient use of resources.
The PVC industry is continuously working on the sustainable development of its products over their entire life-cycles. Furthermore, the PVC industry is investing time and money in innovative new products, additives and technologies.
