Why Is Vinyl Bad For The Environment

From food packaging to toys to building materials.

Why is vinyl bad for the environment.

Vinyl siding manufacturing is bad for the environment while vinyl siding can help builders earn leed points the us green building council has declined to support a credit specific to vinyl use. Polyvinyl chloride more commonly known as vinyl is very versatile and used in all sorts of products. The trouble potentially for record collectors and the environment is that the product has to be created from raw materials. As a matter of fact what is lethal and risky is the materials with which they are made.

The center for health environment and justice chej calls pvc the most toxic plastic for children s health and the environment. Vinyl s boom could be the environment s loss. Vinyl siding is primarily composed of polyvinyl chloride pvc and the manufacturing process produces greenhouse gases such as nitrogen oxide and. As has been widely reported vinyl is currently enjoying two of its best years of sales in over a quarter of a century not only are more vinyl records being produced than ever before but these records also make up an ever increasing share of the total amount of albums on the market.

Vinyl stickers for instance are truly a threat to the environment because of their material. As slate points out most records come in packaging paper cardboard that is vastly more carbon neutral than that of compact discs plastic trays jewel cases. Pvc is one of the most lucrative products of the chemical industry. The sleeve artwork the heavyweight vinyl 180g is the prevailing benchmark of a quality release.

It s everywhere and comes with a substantial environmental legacy. Back in 1977 the era of the album and the height in popularity and sales of vinyl records consumers would pay on average us 28 55 for a single album opposed to a digitally downloaded. There are no considerable indications as to stickers are hostile to the climate and our natural environment. It is the physical interaction that resonates with enthusiasts gough says.

While vinyl flooring continues to grow in popularity there are several serious environmental concerns about this resilient surface material.