Environmentalists call on European Commission for a “swift mandate” against PVC following ECHA report

30 Nov 2023 --- Environmentalists and civil society organizations are welcoming the findings of a report on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), which shows the environmental and human harms produced by PVC microplastics and other substances commonly added to it.

More than 60 environmental NGOs, including Zero Waste Europe (ZWE), the European Environment Bureau (EBB) and ClientEarth, are calling on the European Commission (EC) to phase out PVC by 2030 under the REACH regulation.

The ECHA report confirms many of the dangers posed by PVC, which have been known for decades, and some new findings on the harms of additives often put into PVC products.

ECHA also confirms the existence of safe alternatives across various applications and concludes that EU policymakers need immediate action to reduce the risks to consumers.

“PVC is one of the most infamous examples of the health-harming chemical cocktail that plastics present across the lifecycle. Its ubiquitous presence not only highlights the failure of the current REACH to protect us all adequately but also highlights how urgent its reform remains,” says Natacha Cingotti, health and chemicals program lead, Health and Environment Alliance.

The Restrictions Roadmap
The group of NGOs and civil society organizations have responded to the report by asking the EC to act immediately on PVC, as set out in the Restrictions Roadmap under the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability, and mandate the ECHA to prepare “an ambitious restriction” under the REACH regulation as a first step to facilitate a complete phase-out of PVC by 2030.

The NGOs say restrictions should be applied to single problematic substances or groups of additives, as well as the production, use, and placement of PVC on the market.

“Only essential uses of PVC, for which no safer alternatives are available and which are needed to protect our health or safety or are critical for society — should, in their view, be allowed under strictly controlled conditions,” according to the groups.

Christine Hermann, associate policy officer for Chemicals at the EEB, states: “Policymakers have known the dangers of PVC for a long time but have delayed actions repeatedly. We look forward to the EU authorities now implementing what they promised in the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability – i.e. to act on PVC.”

The groups are also calling on the EC and its member states to demand a global ban of PVC under the new Global Plastics Treaty. The most recent round of negotiations for the treaty (INC-3), were recently held in Kenya. The summit resulted in frustration by many nations and stakeholders as they accused several nations like Saudi Arabia of deliberately stalling the process.

PVC history
The EC acknowledged the risks of PVC in 2000 in a Green Paper titled “Environmental issues of PVC.” Since then, scientific evidence of the harms of PVC has compounded.

The lifecycle of PVC products has been associated with numerous health complications, including endocrine disruption, reproductive impairment, cancer, neurotoxicity, immune system suppression and respiratory irritation. The NGOs say they “trust that the EC will take its responsibility seriously and take long-overdue action on PVC.”

“The release of hazardous chemicals from PVC, including at the waste stage, is a situation we should not tolerate anymore, and that’s why we’re calling on EU policymakers to restrict the use of PVC where it can be replaced by alternatives,” says Dorota Napierska, toxic-free circular economy policy officer at ZWE.

“The long-standing evidence speaks for itself: banning PVC is a common sense decision, and we urge EU policymakers to restrict its use as soon as possible, keeping in mind the precautionary principle,” concludes Hélène Duguy, chemicals lawyer at ClientEarth.

By Louis Gore-Langton

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