Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is a commonly used plastic that exposes people and the environment to endocrine disrupting chemicals. Civil society groups across Europe are calling on EU policymakers to phase out this harmful plastic without delay.
PVC can be found in a wide range of products, from flooring and pipes to food packaging and toys. PVC is an especially problematic type of plastic that poses health and environmental concerns throughout its entire lifecycle, from manufacturing to the recycling phase.
What are the health impacts?
During the production of PVC, workers and communities are exposed to highly hazardous chemicals. This manufacturing process is energy intensive and relies on the use of harmful additives like lead, phthalates, flame retardants, plasticisers and bisphenol A (BPA).
When PVC is being used, for example in food packaging or toys, it can leach harmful chemicals. And this is worrying: the health hazards associated with exposure to PVC and its harmful additives include hormone disruption, cancer (including testicular, liver, and brain cancer), reproductive impairment, neurotoxicity, impaired child development and birth defects, and other serious health problems.
Challenges of recycling
Getting rid of PVC is also tricky: it is a type of plastic that is difficult to recycle due to its hazardous additives, as well as due to existing technical and economic barriers. Instead, PVC waste often goes to incineration and landfills, resulting in toxic emissions being released into the environment.
In 2022, the European Commission added PVC and its additives to the EU's Chemicals Restriction Roadmap, a list of the most harmful chemicals that will be considered for restriction. In 2023, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published a report concluding that some substances added to PVC plastic pose risks to people and the environment and that alternative materials are available for most PVC uses. Despite these findings, ECHA has not recommended a broader restriction on PVC.
Learn more about PVC's impact on people's health and the environment, and how to take action, from our campaign members:
- Sign the petition to join individuals and NGOs calling on EU policymakers to phase out harmful PVC.
- Download and help share this infographic explaining in detail why the EU must ban PVC, created by the BreakFreeFromPlastic coalition, ClientEarth, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), Health Care Without Harm, ReThink Plastic, and Zero Waste Europe.
- Read the report ‘PVC - Problem Very Clear’, detailing why a recent report from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) supports a ban on PVC as the most effective and future-proof risk management measure. The report was published by the BreakFreeFromPlastic coalition, ReThink Plastic, Zero Waste Europe, ClientEarth, Health Care Without Harm, WeChooseReuse, and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB).
- Visit the report ‘Bye Bye to PVC in food packaging, once and for all’, published by Zero Waste Europe, to learn more about the presence of this type of plastic in food packaging.
- Read the latest edition of the Food for Thought newsletter, highlighting the health and environmental impacts of PVC found in food packaging. This newsletter is a collaboration between CHEM Trust, the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) and Zero Waste Europe.
- Download this leaflet on PVC, produced by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) to put a spotlight on this especially problematic type of plastic.