THE ECONOMICS OF PHASING OUT PVC

摘要

PVC is associated with numerous health and environmental hazards throughout its lifecycle. These hazards are increasingly well-known, and are the focus of an extensive advocacy campaign. The critics are not opposed to all plastics, but target PVC in particular for its specific hazardous emissions and impacts. In the face of this opposition, the argument for using PVC is that it is cheaper than alternatives. The most comprehensive economic study (Environment Canada, 1997) implies an average cost of $0.55 per pound for replacing PVC with alternatives, or a total of $8 billion per year for the US and Canada. Our study provides an updated examination of the markets for PVC and alternatives. Four economic factors favor a phaseout of PVC, even if it appears to be cheaper than alternatives at present. First, lifecycle cost calculations may favor alternatives that look more expensive, but are more durable and/or require less maintenance. Second, the costs of PVC production have been lowered by economies of scale and learning curve effects; the costs of alternatives might be comparably lowered by the same forces in the future. Third, the hazards associated with PVC sometimes interfere with the intended use of the product. Fourth, studies have shown that costs of environmentally preferred alternatives are routinely overstated in advance.