1000 DAYS OF INACTIVITY BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION ON PVC
Commision lags behind while business moves away from PVC

3 April 2000

Brussels -- Greenpeace urged the European Commission today to stop delaying the publication of a Green Paper on effective measures to combat the manifold environmental hazards of PVC.

Greenpeace demanded rapid fulfillment of the Commission's commitment given 1000 days ago to come forward with proposals to address the environmental and health problems of PVC in waste streams (1). On 9 July 1997, the Commission officially announced that it would study the environmental aspects of PVC in waste streams with a view to reviewing its policy on PVC - but still no studies have been published (2). In these 1000 days, more than 20 million tons of PVC products have been put on the market (3), despite the fact that no environmentally acceptable treatment is available once PVC becomes waste.

"Restrictive action is overdue - we cannot afford to wait any longer", said Axel Singhofen, Greenpeace International Political Advisor. "Every day the Commission continues to wait and see adds another 20,000 tons to the PVC waste crisis, every second weighs 250 kg!"

Concern over the leaching of hazardous additives during use and disposal, the difficulties of recycling PVC as well as the problems of dioxin and waste formation when PVC is burned has led business and national governments towards restrictions. Greenpeace released the latest compendium of restrictions and PVC-free policies worldwide to contrast the growing trend in business and national governments to reduce and eliminate PVC with the inaction of the Commission. The Greenpeace report: "PVC-Free Future: A Review of Restrictions and PVC-free Policies Worldwide", features 27 countries with PVC restrictions and over 100 companies that have moved away from PVC (4). The world's biggest car and toy manufacturers were recent newcomers to the PVC-free trend.

"The European Commission lags seriously behind in acting on the multitude of well-known environmental concerns with PVC plastic," said Axel Singhofen. "At the same time, businesses and national governments are pushing ahead, leaving the Commission in the dust," he added.

Singhofen cited announcements in the past two years from companies such as Nike, Sony, Baxter Healthcare, General Motors, and Mattel to move away from PVC in consumer products. Earlier in the 90's, companies like Ikea and the Body Shop were amongst the first to pledge PVC-free policies. And in 1999, Sweden, Denmark and Germany either adopted or recommended government initiatives to tackle the environmental problems of PVC.

Greenpeace provided short-term policy recommendations for the PVC crisis, including i.a. a phaseout of short-life PVC products such as packaging, toys and medical devices, a ban on the incineration and landfilling of all PVC, and producer responsibility for separation of PVC from the general waste stream with temporary storage until a waste solution has been found and implemented by the producer.

"However, in the mid-term, there is only one answer to the PVC problem, and that is a full phase-out of the production and use of PVC", said Singhofen.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
- Axel Singhofen +32 2 280 1987, Greenpeace EU Toxics Advisor
- Matilda Bradshaw +31 20 524 9545,Greenpeace International Press Desk

2) In 1998, the European Commission commissioned the following studies: behaviour of PVC in landfills, quantities and qualities of the secondary residues from PVC incineration, economics of diverting PVC from incineration, quantity and quality of mechanical PVC recycling and chemical recycling of plastic wastes. The studies were meant to be finished by the end of 1999.

3) Figures given as PVC compunds including additives: annual consumption of PVC products in Europe of 8 million tonnes/year. Mersiowsky et al., Long-term behaviour of PVC products under soli-buried and landfill conditions, July 1999.

4) Download the report here