PVC is one of the most used plastic materials in the world. At global level, demand for PVC exceeds 35 million tonnes per annum and it is in constant growth (+5% on global average), with higher growth rates in the developing countries.
In Europe (EU-27), the production of PVC products – including exports – totals about 8 million tonnes per year. European PVC resin consumption totals some 6.5 million tonnes per year, or 15% of all plastics use in Europe, with an average growth of 2-3% per year.
PVC sales in Western Europe and Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia in 2007
PVC sales in Western Europe and Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia in 2007
PVC is a more economic material
PVC products make life safer, more comfortable and more pleasurable. And, because PVC has an excellent ratio of economic cost to performance, it allows people of all income levels access to these important benefits.
The diversity of PVC applications challenges the imagination. In everyday life, they are all around us, from construction profiles to medical devices, from roofing membranes to credit cards, from children’s toys to pipes for water and gas.
Few other materials are as versatile or able to fulfil such demanding specifications. In this way, PVC facilitates creativity and innovation, making new possibilities.
PVC underpins safety
Wire and cables sheathed with PVC prevent potentially fatal electrical accidents. In hospitals around the world PVC medical tubing – which does not break or kink – delivers fluids and medicines to the sick.
PVC is one of the most used plastic materials in the world
Car components which use very strong PVC can reduce the risk of any injuries being caused in case of an accident. Most PVC products are long lasting – up to and over 60 years. These applications are reliable throughout their service lives and cut down vastly on maintenance or repair.
Modern cars, for example, last many years longer simply because PVC protects the underside from water and corrosion.
PVC enhances our lives
Functional performance is by no means the whole story. PVC has a distinguished role in beauty and aesthetics. In fashion, furniture and all types of indoor and outdoor accessories, PVC opens up functional and design opportunities that are both visually striking and fundamentally practical.
In short, people everywhere benefit from this material. Sometimes invisible but always reliable, PVC products make the difference when it counts.
