Environmental issues of PVC
The European Commission has adopted a Green paper on environmental issues of PVC. This follows the Commission's commitment, made in its proposal for a Directive on end of life vehicles, to assess the impact of PVC wastes on the environment. 'A number of scientific, technical and economic opinions have been expressed on the question of PVC and its effects on human health and the environment,' the Environment Directorate-General reports. While some Member States have adopted or recommended measures related to specific aspects of the PVC lifecycle, their measures are not identical. The Commission believes an integrated approach is needed to assess the whole life cycle of PVC. This will help the development of necessary measures for the protection of human health and environment as well as the proper functioning of the internal market, according to the Commission. Some of the issues regarding PVC and its impact on the environment that are identified in the Green paper. These include: - the PVC industry and its products: structure of the industry, production processes, range of products, economic importance; - additives: quantities used, hazards, and risks of additives, in particular heavy metal stabilisers and phthalate plasticisers; - management of PVC wastes: current quantities and treatment routes, future development; - recycling of PVC wastes: processes and potential quantities for mechanical and chemical (feedstock) recycling and other technologies; - incineration of PVC wastes: technologies, residues, costs of incineration, evaluation of a potential diversion of PVC from incineration; - landfilling of PVC wastes: behaviour under landfill conditions. 'The European PVC industry has signed a voluntary commitment on the sustainable development of PVC, which among others address the reduction of the use of certain heavy metal stabilisers, the mechanical recycling of certain post-consumer wastes and the development of further recycling technologies, ' says the Commission. However, there are a range of other legislative measures that could also be adopted, which are set out in the Green paper. The Commission is now seeking public feedback on these options and is inviting comments before the end of November 2000. It plans to publish a proposed strategy on the environmental issues of PVC at the beginning of 2001.