What do life cycle studies show about vinyl?

Since the late 1980s, at least 26 life cycle evaluations have been published on vinyl building products, many of them comparing vinyl products to similar products made of other materials. In some cases vinyl has a lighter impact on the environment, in others, it doesn’t. However, vinyl products generally have been found to perform favorably in terms of energy efficiency, thermal-insulating value, low contribution to greenhouse gases and product durability, which means using fewer resources.

The Natural Step (TNS), a highly regarded international organization that uses a science-based, systems framework to help organizations and communities understand and move towards sustainability, evaluated vinyl from its salt and natural gas beginnings through to finished products in the waste stream.17 In a cover letter accompanying the report, Jonathon Porritt, TNS Chairman, wrote, "It serves little purpose arguing for the elimination of PVC without first assessing the degree to which any substitutes would have a lower ‘sustainability footprint.’ PVC may or may not have a place in a genuinely sustainable future (depending on whether or not it can meet the challenges outlined in our Evaluation), but exactly the same questions must be asked of all materials, be they man-made or natural, before leaping to what are often ill-judged and unscientific conclusions." More information is available at www.naturalstep.org.uk/uk_homepage.htm

A life cycle analysis (LCA) conducted for the United Kingdom’s Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions showed that vinyl is the best material for some uses and that the differences between the alternatives are small when environmental impacts are considered from the extraction of raw materials to final disposal.18

17 "PVC: An Evaluation Using the Natural Step Framework," The Natural Step, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK, July 2000.

18 "Life Cycle Assessment of Polyvinyl Chloride and Alternatives," Entec UK Limited and Ecobalance UK, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions: London (now the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs), February 2001.