Advances in Sustainable PVC Technology

The regulatory pressure on flexible PVC continues. Considerable research activities are underway to address the issue. In general, the research falls into three categories: 1) the development of non-migrating phthalates, 2) the development of non-phthalate PVC plasticizers, and 3) the development of alternate materials to replace flexible PVC. This month’s R&D highlights will focus on new advances that are directly related to flexible PVC sustainability and also on research related to understanding the toxicity of and environmental issues surrounding phthalates.