CEH Report

Table of Contents

Abstract

The general performance characteristics of PVC plastics include mechanical toughness, fairly good weather resistance, resistance to water and many chemicals (including strong mineral acids), inherent fire retardancy, fairly good electrical insulating properties, tendency to decompose upon exposure to intense light or high heat, tendency to emit toxic vapors upon decomposition, and thermoplastic character; that is, PVC plastics that contain little or no plasticizer tend to be sensitive to impact at low temperatures. Additives can mitigate some of these shortcomings.

PVC is the most versatile of all thermoplastics. It can be converted either into rigid products of considerable strength and hardness or into flexible articles when compounded with plasticizers. Rigid applications accounted for 65% of total consumption and provide most of the growth opportunities.

PVC is a global product, manufactured by over 100 companies in approximately fifty countries. Practically all incremental capacity during 2005–2008 was installed in China, and to a lesser extent, India and the Middle East.

The following pie chart shows world consumption of PVC:

PVC consumption is highly dependent on the construction market, as about 70% of world consumption is for pipe, fittings, siding, windows, fencing and other applications. It has increasingly been used as a replacement for traditional construction materials such as wood and metals, so its growth has been above that experienced by the overall construction industry. In industrialized countries, demand will be strong for piping and fittings, especially for telecommunications and natural gas. In the developing world, PVC pipe will grow rapidly, particularly for infrastructure for drinking water, sewage and drainage. Other leading rigid applications are siding, windows, fencing and packaging sheet. In North America, PVC is mainly used for pipes and sidings, while in Europe and Asia, most use is for pipes and window frames. Builders in Japan have begun to use more PVC windows, in part because of their superior insulating properties to reduce heating and cooling costs. Demand is growing strongly in China for construction materials as well as consumer goods. Flexible PVC is used for film and sheet, wire and cable insulation, floor coverings, synthetic leather products, coatings and many other consumer goods. Demand for flexible PVC has declined in the industrialized world, but continues to rise in certain countries such as China and India.

Health and environmental issues, and even product image, have been major concerns for the worldwide PVC industry. In Europe, concerns over plasticizer toxicity have led to substitution of DOP with diisononyl adipate (DINA) and other substitutes such as DINP, that incur less objections. Solid waste disposal and the potential for recycling are among the major issues facing PVC and other plastics today. PVC forms dioxins and other potentially harmful compounds during solid waste incineration. PVC producers, especially in Europe, have been developing methods for recycling. In addition, some large retailers are requiring suppliers to use non-PVC packaging because of recycling concerns.