Overview
Read this article from a comprehensive knowledge base, updated and supplemented with articles reviewed by scientific committees.
Read the articleAUTHORS
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Zdenek HRUSKA: PVC Products Environment Manager - Solvin France
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Patrice GUESNET: PVC Environmental Manager - Arkema
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Christian SALIN: Technical Service Manager - LVM France
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Jean-Jacques COUCHOUD: Delegate for Technical and Regulatory Affairs - Plastics Europe France
INTRODUCTION
Poly(vinyl chloride), whose international symbol PVC derives from the English name "Poly Vinyl Chloride", is a synthetic thermoplastic composed of carbon, hydrogen and chlorine.
Carbon and hydrogen come from petroleum (43%), while chlorine comes from salt (57%).
Industrial production of PVC dates back to the early 1930s.
It's a plastic that's very much a part of our everyday lives, because its mechanical and physical properties, combined with its ability to be modified to suit specific needs, make it suitable for a wide range of uses.
PVC is used in all sectors of the economy: construction (57% in the European Union), packaging, electricity, electronics, consumer goods, healthcare and transport.
It's the third most widely used plastic in the world (20% of total global plastics consumption, or around 28 million tonnes).
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EDITIONS
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Poly(vinyl chloride) or PVC
Preparation
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Production and consumption
PVC is now the third most widely used polymer in the world, after polyethylene and polypropylene. Long ranked second, PVC has slipped back to 3rd place, to the benefit of polypropylene, which has seen greater growth in recent years.
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