PVC extrusion plant. Photo courtesy of Vinyl Institute.
The controversy over vinyl is white hot.
Experts go back and forth as to whether vinyl is environmentally friendly. And, thus we see that much of what we think of today as a pollutant may be thought of as "green" tomorrow.
The controversy over vinyl is white hot.
Experts go back and forth as to whether vinyl is environmentally friendly. And, thus we see that much of what we think of today as a pollutant may be thought of as "green" tomorrow.
For the May/June issue of Fencepost magazine, I wrote an article on the, "Benefits of Vinyl Fencing," in which I interviewed Dr. Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace, who is now chairman and chief scientist of Greenspirit Strategies of Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Moore believes so strongly in the many benefits of vinyl that he so much as walked away from Greenpeace over disagreements about this pliable synthetic material.
Vinyl is one of the most durable architectural products available.
Durability means less waste because there is less need for reproduction; which is also a Walter Stahel cradle-to-cradle concept.
Vinyl would cause harm to the environment if it were burned out in someone's backyard... but come on, who would do that? Sometimes it is incinerated at a disposal site, but incineration is performed in such a way as to protect the environment. Most commonly, gladly, vinyl is recycled. Since it is largely a pure material, vinyl manufacturers nearly always use recycled content in their products. Though not-so-glamorous, recycled content is usually the "backbone" material concealed by a thin layer of virgin vinyl.
Aside from its most obvious benefit - that of durability - vinyl is also a very clean material that resists mold and mildew and can be easily cleaned and sterilized. Look around the next time you step foot into a hospital... you will see vinyl, vinyl, vinyl. Neither does vinyl leach vapors, contrary to some suspicions.
Popular in the decking industry as well as for fencing, vinyl is a widely successful decking material used in areas prone to forest fires, such as in
Environmental Concerns Dispelled:
Chlorine, vinyl's controversial chemical component, is good.
The fact that chlorine is in vinyl concerns some people, but Dr. Moore points out, " Salt and chlorine are essential for life on earth. For healthcare, chlorine prevents water-borne diseases. Many medicines are based on chlorine chemistry. Chlorine is toxic, but it is toxic to bacteria that we do want to destroy." Several European countries that at one time banned chlorine have since lifted their bans.
Vinyl manufacturing is energy-efficient.
“Vinyl is composed of 51% chlorine derived from salt and 49% hydrocarbons derived from natural gas. Most other plastics are one hundred percent hydrocarbons,” says Dr. Moore. Aluminum products take up to three times more energy to manufacture compared to vinyl.
No need to worry about dioxin levels.
“The dioxin levels from vinyl are so small that they cannot be measured outside of the manufacturers’ gate,” says Dr. Moore, “Furthermore, the EPA does not have any issues or problems with dioxin levels related to the production of vinyl.”
Lastly, after careful scientific-based scrutinization Dr. Moore concludes,
“The resistance against phthalates is not supported scientifically either.”
This is a story illustrating the difference between fact and fable.
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