ng Out PVC

______________________________________________






Frank Ackerman
Rachel Massey



December 2003
Revised May 2006





Global Development and Environment Institute
Tufts University
44 Teele Avenue
Somerville, MA 02144
www.ase.tufts.edu/gdae




The Economics of Phasing out PVC
Frank Ackerman and Rachel Massey
December 2003; revised May 2006

Note: Portions of the original text presented prices for specific local markets as of mid-2003. Since these
are now out of date, and it has not been possible to confirm or update them, they have been removed from
this version. All other portions of the text are unchanged from the original.

© Global Development and Environment Institute (GDAE), Tufts University

Global Development and Environment Institute (GDAE)
Tufts University, 44 Teele Avenue, Somerville, MA 02144
Tel. 617-627-3530
http://www.ase.tufts.edu/gdae













About the Global Development and Environment Institute

The Global Development And Environment Institute is a research institute at Tufts University dedicated
to promoting a better understanding of how societies can pursue their economic and community goals in
an environmentally and socially sustainable manner. GDAE pursues its mission through original
research, policy work, publication projects, curriculum development, conferences, and other activities.
GDAE is jointly administered by Tufts Universitys Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the Tufts
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Frank Ackerman is Director of the Research and Policy Program, and Rachel Massey is a Research
Associate, at GDAE.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Evelyn Bain, Catherine Galligan, Jamie Harvie, Bruce Hampton, and Gail Vittori for reviewing
major sections of this report; thanks also to the many other people who have provided specific comments
on and information for use in this report. Some, but not all, of these individuals are acknowledged in
individual sections of the report. Responsibility for any remaining errors is of course ours.

Megan Amundson, Monica Brown, Regina Flores, Courtney Lane, and Jennifer Lappin provided valuable
research assistance in the preparation of the report. Funding for this report was provided by the Mitchell
Kapor Foundation and the John Merck Fund. No one involved in writing or funding this report has any
financial interest in any of the products, materials, or industries discussed here.




Table of Contents



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .........................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................4

W
HY
W
ORRY
A
BOUT
PVC?......................................................................................................................................4

V
INYL
T
ODAY
:

A

L
OOK AT THE
M
ARKET
..................................................................................................................5

C
OSTS OF
R
EPLACING
PVC:

T
HREE
S
TUDIES
............................................................................................................6

FACTORS FAVORING PHASEOUT.......................................................................................................................9

L
IFE
-C
YCLE
C
OSTS
O
FTEN
F
AVOR
A
LTERNATIVES
...................................................................................................9

M
ASS
P
RODUCTION
R
EDUCES
C
OSTS
........................................................................................................................9

PVC

P
RODUCTS
C
AN
B
E
D
ANGEROUS TO
U
SERS
....................................................................................................11

E
NVIRONMENTAL
P
ROTECTION
C
OSTS
L
ESS
T
HAN
A
NTICIPATED
...........................................................................12

MARKETS FOR ALTERNATIVES .......................................................................................................................13

A
LTERNATIVES TO
PVC,

I:

P
IPES
............................................................................................................................13

A
LTERNATIVES TO
PVC,

II:

R
OOFING
.....................................................................................................................17

A
LTERNATIVES TO
PVC,

III:

F
LOORING
.................................................................................................................20

A
LTERNATIVES TO
PVC,

IV:

M
EDICAL
S
UPPLIES AND
G
LOVES
..............................................................................22

A
LTERNATIVES TO
PVC,

V:

S
IDING AND
W
INDOWS
................................................................................................27

EMPLOYMENT IMPACTS OF A PVC PHASEOUT..........................................................................................30

S
IZE OF THE
I
NDUSTRY
............................................................................................................................................30

E
FFECTS ON
PVC

W
ORKERS
...................................................................................................................................32

STEPS TOWARD ALTERNATIVES .....................................................................................................................34

P
OLICY
I
NITIATIVES TO
P
HASE OUT
PVC

...............................................................................................................34

I
NNOVATIVE
C
ONSTRUCTION
P
ROJECTS
..................................................................................................................37

CONCLUSION ..........................................................................................................................................................39

ENDNOTES ...............................................................................................................................................................40




Tables and Figures




TABLES

T
ABLE
1:

PVC

C
ONSUMPTION IN
US
AND
C
ANADA
,

1994-2007...

5
T
ABLE
2:

A
VERAGE
C
OST OF
R
EPLACING
PVC

(T
HREE
P
UBLISHED
E
STIMATES
)..

6
T
ABLE
3:

A
LTERNATIVES TO
PVC
IN
P
IPES AND
C
ONSTRUCTION
..

7
T
ABLE
4:

M
ARKETS FOR
P
OLYETHYLENE
P
IPE
... 14
T
ABLE
5:

I
NSTALLATION
C
OSTS
,

3/4-
INCH
P
LUMBING
P
IPE
O
NLY
.......... 16
T
ABLE
6:

I
NSTALLATION
C
OSTS
,

3/4-
INCH
P
LUMBING
C
OMPLETE
I
NSTALLATION
. 16
T
ABLE
7:

L
OW
-
SLOPE
R
OOFING
S
ALES
,

2002.... 17
T
ABLE
8:

L
IFE
-C
YCLE
C
OSTS OF
S
TRATICA VS
.

V
INYL
21
T
ABLE
9:

A
VERAGE
F
AILURE
R
ATES OF
V
INYL
,

N
ITRILE
,
AND
L
ATEX
G
LOVES
.. 24
T
ABLE
10:

D
URABILITY AND
G
LOVE
P
RICES
.. 25
T
ABLE
11:

S
IDING
M
ATERIAL
C
OSTS AND
L
IFETIMES
28
T
ABLE
12:

I
NDUSTRY
E
STIMATES OF
C
HLORINE
-R
ELATED AND
PVC

F
ABRICATOR
E
MPLOYMENT
.. 31
T
ABLE
13:

VCM

P
RODUCTION
F
ACILITIES
,

2000... 31
T
ABLE
14:

PVC

P
RODUCTION
F
ACILITIES
,

2003 32


FIGURES

F
IGURE
1:

U
SES OF
PVC,

2002...

6
F
IGURE
2:

A
VERAGE
L
IFETIMES OF
R
OOFS
. 18
The Economics of Phasing Out PVC

1
Executive Summary


Polyvinyl chloride, also known as PVC or vinyl,
has become one of the most widely used plastics
today. We encounter PVC on a daily basis in
products ranging from toys, packaging, and lawn
furniture to water and sewer pipes, medical
equipment, and building materials.

PVC poses hazards to human health over the course
of its life cycle. PVC production exposes workers and
communities to vinyl chloride and other toxic
substances. PVC products such as medical equipment
and childrens toys can leach toxic additives during
their useful life. Vinyl building materials release
hydrochloric acid fumes if they catch fire, and
burning PVC creates byproducts including dioxin, a
potent carcinogen.

The health hazards associated with the production,
use, and disposal of PVC are, for the most part,
avoidable. Alternatives are available across the range
of PVC products. In some cases the alternatives are
no more expensive than PVC; in other cases there is a
small additional cost. Often there are good reasons to
expect the costs of alternatives to decline over time.

Vinyl today: a look at the market

PVC sales reached 14.4 billion pounds in the US and
Canada in 2002, or 46 pounds per person. Worldwide
production was around 59 billion pounds, or an
average of 9 pounds per person. With 5 percent of the
worlds population, the US and Canada consume 24
percent of the worlds PVC. The principal uses of
PVC in North America, in order of importance, are
pipes, construction materials, consumer goods,
packaging, and electrical products (such as wire and
cable insulation).

Three in-depth studies have estimated the costs of
phasing out PVC. The latest one, a 1997 study by
Environment Canada, based on a detailed analysis of
the cost of alternatives, suggests an average annual
cost of $0.55 per pound. If this estimate still applied
today, it would imply a total cost of $8 billion