Analysis of the Chinese PVC Industry

PVC plastics that contain chemical additives such as Lead stabilizers and DEHP plasticizers have a proven harmful effect on human health and the environment. In the EU, the use of these toxic additives in PVC products has been restricted or banned and replaced by safer alternatives. Since these regulatory changes have mostly been confined to the EU and not implemented on a wider international scale, increasing the sustainability awareness and promoting the voluntary substitution of these additives in countries like China has become a top priority. With the adoption of China’s 13th Five-year Plan (2016-2020), high-end, intelligent and green production became a key policy priority to promote the overall improvement of the manufacturing industry. In the upcoming 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), the Chinese government is once again stressing the importance of protecting the environment. Because China is one of the world’s largest producers and users of PVC-resin and PVCproducts, the PVC Information Council in Denmark under the European PVC Industry Representation in Denmark and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency have jointly requested that a brief Analysis of the Chinese PVC Industry is carried out. The purpose isto better understand the PVC industry, market forces, regulatory environment, and possible barriers for replacing toxic additives with less harmful substitutes. The intention is to find a way to initiate a dialogue between the European PVC industry (VinylPlus, the Voluntary Commitment of the European PVC Industry) and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency with related key stakeholders in China.