PVC moves to sustainability

The Natural Step Organisation looked at the production, use and disposal of PVC. They made a series of recommendations to make PVC more sustainable.

Click on each system to see details of the recommendations from the Natural Step organisation.

Equality

Promote learning and education to improve the understanding of the industry upon natural resources.
Ensure that all people involved in the entire PVC life cycle are treated fairly.
Develop closed loop manufacturing to eliminate waste.

Biological productivity

Reduce the use of oil and gas as raw materials.
Evaluate the impact on nature of using biomass as a raw material.
Design production facilities for eco-efficiency and also with areas to provide new habitats.
Reduce the need for transport of raw materials and intermediates.
Reduce waste and increase recycling. Move to closed loop manufacturing.
Improve water efficiency and recycle water used in production processes.
Mining for additives can destroy habitats. reducing the use of additives will decrease this impact.

Synthetic materials

Increase recycling and move to a closed loop system of production, use and recycling.
Find alternative sources of chlorine. E.g. from sea water desalination plants.
Eliminate release of dioxins by new manufacturing processes.
Reduce emissions of Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) and organochlorines so that they do not accumulate in nature.
Replace phthalate plasticisers.
Recycle heavy metal additives until they are finally removed.

Mineral resources

Find alternative raw materials to replace oil and gas.
Develop the use of biomass as a raw material.
Recycle wastes to eventually become a closed loop system.
The use of heavy metal additives to be phased out.
Alternative, non-petrochemical plasticisers are to be found.
Improve energy efficiency of production process by using combined heat and power and renewable energy sources.
Reduce energy and emissions from transport.