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PVC Applications are Critical to Achieving the United Nations SDGs
PVC is one of the most studied materials in the world. It has a long history of use in hundreds of applications because of its durability, flexibility, economics, and safety. It can be a rigid material, for applications like pipe, siding, and extrusions for window frames. When formulated with plasticizers it can be flexible, as in applications such as wallcoverings, upholstery fabrics, roofing membranes, and coatings.
Whether it is called ‘vinyl’ or ‘PVC’ this useful material can be formulated to provide specific properties for specific product applications. Many of these applications are critical to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Here are just a few examples:
One-quarter of all medical devices use PVC due to its performance and cost-effectiveness[1].
PVC blood bags safely preserve blood for up to 49 days.
One of the most important uses may be in PVC blood bags, which allow a long, stable, and safe shelf-life for the blood. Under refrigeration, blood stored in a PVC bag is proven and trusted to last for up to 49 days. While much blood is used within a few weeks, there are several reasons why a storage period of up to 49 days is crucial for preserving the more than 14 million units of blood transfused in the US annually[2].
The warehousing and distribution of the national blood supplies are based on up to 49 days of shelf life. Patients’ safety depends on this stable supply of blood components stored in blood bags, especially red blood cells that must meet the criteria of a low hemolysis rate without visible hemolysis in the supernatant[3].
PVC flooring, wall protection, and coated fabrics help prevent the spread of infectious bacteria.
In healthcare facilities, PVC flooring, wall covering, and furniture can help prevent the spread of disease and infection due to its excellent surface properties and cleanability. To safely disinfect hospital rooms and medical facilities, PVC products are necessary since they are best at withstanding harsh cleaning solutions[4].
PVC medical applications protect healthcare professionals and caregivers from serious contagions.
PVC protects medical personnel. Doctors on the front lines battling some of the most virulent diseases in the world rely on PVC. It remains a critical part of helping protect medical professionals and caregivers confronting serious contagions, such as COVID-19, by constructing protective shields and outer garments. Many of these same devices have been used to protect doctors and nurses combating Ebola for years[5].
PVC pipes safely deliver clean water and wastewater.
Under UN SDG six, “Clean Water and Sanitation,” PVC pipes are the quality product of choice for both drinking water and sewer infrastructure. PVC pipes are critical components of desalination plants that can provide clean drinking water to arid regions. PVC pipe’s smooth, non-corrosive surface stays clean even after decades of use, unlike iron pipe, which suffers from tuberculation, a form of internal corrosion and bio-film contamination that can be a breeding ground for bacterial, like E. Coli and Legionella5.
The town of Walkerton, Ontario, Canada, provides a case in point. In 2000, E-coli had infiltrated the municipality’s iron-pipe water network, and purging it from the system was extremely difficult. Only after repeated and costly flushing with super-chlorination was the piping system safe to use again. Today, Walkerton, now part of the Municipality of Brockton, is replacing all its iron pipes with PVC.
PVC pipes are a lower-carbon solution for water infrastructure.
If the world hopes to achieve UN SDG eleven, “Sustainable Cities and Communities,” then PVC must not only be allowed but encouraged as the way to achieve a low-carbon piping system infrastructure. PVC has a lower embodied carbon than other pipes like iron, copper, cement, or clay[6]. PVC is the lower carbon solution for new or replacement infrastructure, with a documented lower carbon footprint. Durable PVC pipes are also proven as the longest-lasting of all pipe materials, meaning fewer replacements are needed, and therefore less embodied carbon is required to maintain system integrity over time[7].
According to a study conducted by McKinsey, PVC pipes have significantly lower total greenhouse gas emissions during production than other pipe materials. In sewer pipe applications, PVC has lower GHG emissions, approximately 45 percent lower than reinforced concrete pipes and 35 percent lower than ductile iron pipes.[8]
The US Green Build Council (USGBC) completed a four-year study in 2007 to evaluate the technical and scientific basis for a PVC-related materials credit as part of the LEED Green Building Rating System. The evidence collected during the study led the Technical Science Advisory Committee (TSAC) to conclude that a credit-rewarding avoidance of PVC could steer decision-makers toward using materials that are worse for human and environmental health. The evidence also served as a basis for the “increased use of integrated methods for material evaluation, not only to pass judgment on a particular credit for a particular material.” In addition, the recommendation encouraged the development of credits informed by life cycle assessments (LCA) and risk assessments that use a systematic, comprehensive, whole-building approach to critical issues such as bio-accumulative pollutants, particulate emissions, and climate change.
PVC applications provide food safety & security and stop waste.
Under UN SDG twelve “Responsible Production and Consumption,” PVC applications play a critical role in providing food safety and security as well as reducing food waste. PVC films protect food products from microorganisms that breed quickly on uncovered food and help prevent food waste.
Used as an interior metal can liner, vinyl coatings protect the can contents from imparting metallic flavors into the food or beverage and protect the can from corroding due to acids in the food or beverage thereby increasing product shelf-life. PVC sealants preserve flavor and provide airtight seals for caps and closures on food and beverage bottles and jars keeping food fresh and bacteria out — also preventing food and beverage waste.
Food security is also achieved with PVC piping and drip irrigation to deliver water and nutrients in a targeted manner to outdoor farms, as well as to indoor growing operations where food can grow locally in areas of the world that have relied on imports. In addition, clear PVC tubes are used as a key material of construction in algae bioreactors that create alternative sources of nutrition for human food, agriculture/aquaculture feed, and nutraceuticals.
More information about PVC:
- EPA tentatively denies Center for Biological Diversity petition on PVC (vinylinfo.org)
- The U.S. PVC Industry is Focused on Accelerating Post-Consumer PVC Recycling – Vinyl (vinylinfo.org)
- Learn About The Importance of PVC In Healthcare Settings and Products (vinylinfo.org)
- Learn about PVC Pipe: The Proven Solutions for Water Infrastructure
Endnotes:
[1]https://pvcmed.org/healthcare/facts-figures/
[2] https://www.cdc.gov/bloodsafety/basics.html
[3] https://pvcmed.org/healthcare/safe-and-innovative-pvc-blood-bags/
[4] https://www.iands.design/sourcestextiles/article/21066721/the-time-for-upholstered-fabric-performance
[5] https://pvcmed.org/fighting-ebola-with-pvc
[6] environmental_product_declaration_for_water_and_sewer_piping.pdf (uni-bell.org)
[7] Ibid
[8] McKinsey and Company, Climate Impact of Plastics, July 2022