Vinyl, also known as PVC, is derived from salt (one of the earth’s most abundant resources) and natural gas. It is suitable for an almost limitless range of products since vinyl can be rigid and impact resistant enough for pipe or siding, and thin and flexible enough for wall covering, flooring, or upholstery. Vinyl is inherently recyclable and can be made weather and heat resistant, highly durable, and aesthetically pleasing. The superior and proven performance characteristics of vinyl make it a critical material in health care products that are regulated for safety by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These products and procedures include intravenous blood bags, kidney dialysis and blood transfusions, cardiac catheters and endotracheal (breathing) tubes.
$20 Billion
The flexible vinyl industry is a significant contributor to the domestic economy with an estimated annual value that exceeds $20B for the North American manufacturing and retail sectors.
1000 Sites /47 States
Flexible vinyl related operations throughout the value-added supply chain include more than 1,000 manufacturing sites in 47 states.
50 Years of safe use
Flexible vinyl has a long track record as a safe, affordable, durable & sustainable material. Vinyl additives have been studied closely by independent scientists, the federal government, and industry and used safely for more than 50 years.
50 Years of saving lives
Wire and cables sheathed with PVC prevent potentially fatal electrical accidents. In hospitals around the world, PVC medical tubing that does not break or kink delivers fluids and medicines to the sick. Vinyl flooring and wall coverings are easy to clean and disinfect, helping prevent the spread of hospital-borne illnesses. The survival of victims of war and natural disasters such as in Haiti and Iraq is aided with vinyl products including flexible, flat-folding temporary shelters and field deployed surgical units. Cars are safer and last many years longer because of durable PVC components and coatings that protect from water and corrosion. PVC products are engineered to be long-lasting with life cycles of 50 years and beyond
1 Billion Lbs.
PVC is inherently recyclable. More than 1 billion pounds are recycled annually according to a recent study.
99%
99% of manufacturing vinyl industrial waste is reprocessed; millions of pounds of post-consumer vinyl are also recycled.
20+
To ensure the continued performance of vinyl products, more than twenty life cycle evaluations have been completed over the past thirty years. These studies compare PVC products to similar products of alternative materials. PVC products perform favorably in terms of product durability, energy efficiency, thermal insulating value, and low contributions to green house gas emissions. This all adds up to using fewer resources.
$17.7 Billion
This is the net cost to consumers per year in the United States and Canada for the substitution of alternative materials for PVC-based products that they currently use. Producers of the substitute materials would need $5.6B in new investment to manufacture the incremental volume of substitute material, and incur $2.8B per year in capital recovery charges.
(Source: Economic Benefits of PVC, Whitfield Associates, 2008)
100+
The FVA is a coalition of more than 100 materials suppliers, compounders, formulators, molders, fabricators and retailers that represent the full “value chain” of the flexible PVC industry. The FVA is aligned with more than 900 additional businesses, retailers and manufacturers through its allied trade groups.
Be a Part of FVA
The Flexible Vinyl Alliance was formed to work in conjunction with existing industry groups and companies in the plastics and manufacturing areas to communicate the many cost, performance, safety & environmental benefits of flexible vinyl products. The FVA advocates for the continued and expanded use of flexible vinyl products through fact-based education and information exchange across industry, and inclusive of lawmakers and the general public.
Source: The Flexible Vinyl Alliance [Download PDF]