A small lecture…
There is so much to learn about PVC. A small start, a tiny warm welcome into the beautiful world of PVC!
What’s PVC?
Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, is one of the most versatile and widely used polymers in the world. PVC continues to make life safer and more comfortable through its extensive use in building and construction, as well as in water distribution, automotive, cabling, smart cards and credit cards, packaging, fashion and design, sports, agriculture, telecommunications, medical devices and a wide array of other areas and products.
PVC is an intrinsically low-carbon plastic: 57% of its molecular weight is chlorine derived from common salt; 5% is hydrogen; and 38% is carbon. It is an extremely durable and cost-efficient material which can be recycled several times at end of life without losing its essential properties.
The diversity of PVC applications challenges the imagination. In everyday life, they are all around us: construction profiles, medical devices, roofing membranes, credit cards, children’s toys, and pipes for water and gas. Few other materials are as versatile or able to fulfil such demanding specifications. In this way, PVC fosters creativity and innovation, making new possibilities available every day.
An easily recycled material
The European GreenDeal’s objective is to make sustainable products the norm. To boost circular business models and empower consumers for the green transition, it’s proposing new rules to make almost all physical goods on the EU market more friendly to the environment, circular, and energy efficient throughout their whole lifecycle from the design phase through to daily use, repurposing, and end-of-life.
Some facts stated on VinylPlus website:
- Not only is PVC (or vinyl) primarily used in very long-lasting building products with a service life of 100 years or more; it is one of the most recyclable materials that exists on our planet. PVC can be recycled 8 to 10 times without degradation of functional properties
- PVC is not only recyclable; it is increasingly being recycled. Since 2000, more than 7.3 million tonnes of PVC have been recycled into new products. Europe has set its goal to recycle at least 900.000 tonnes/year by 2025 as part of the EU Commission’s Circular Plastics Alliance. In 2030, at least 1,000,000 tonnes PVC/year must be recycled into new products.
- Using recycled PVC helps meet resource-efficiency targets and allows the preservation of natural resources. It has been calculated that CO2 savings of up to 92% are achieved when PVC is recycled: recycled PVC’s primary energy demand is typically between 45% to 90% lower than virgin PVC production.
All the material that is processed in our plants in Lelystad, The Netherlands; the quantity, the origin, and the industry in which it is to be reused, is entered on the Recovinyl’s platform Recotrace to keep track on our performance and our contribution to the European objectives.
All the material that is processed in our plants in Lelystad – the quantity, the origin, and the industry in which it is to be reused- is entered at RecoVinyl’s platform Recotrace. A European dashboard to keep track on our performance and contribution to the European objectives.