Surprisingly, vinyl is less flammable than other types of plastic. That’s why it is so important to limit its use and not try to let it biodegrade or compost it.

These chemicals have been linked to cancer and birth defects and can cause soil, air, and water pollution. Production, use, and disposal of vinyl has the potential to release chemicals like ethylene dichloride, mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the environment. Vinyl is considered to be the plastic that is the most toxic to both human and environmental health. Since vinyl is made using chemicals and it is not plant-based, it can not be considered organic. The term organic usually refers to plant-based products that were grown without the use of chemicals. It can not be broken down as compost since it is not biodegradable.īut, even if it was compostable it would release harmful chemicals into your compost which would make the compost unhealthy to use for other purposes. Some types of plastic do biodegrade under certain conditions, but that can take several hundred years.īut even if vinyl does biodegrade, it could release harmful chemicals used for processing it into the environment when it does. Vinyl is not biodegradable since it is made from plastic. It can’t be replenished in the same way that plants, water, and other natural resources can. Sustainability means avoiding the depletion of natural resources to help maintain ecological balance.Ĭrude oil is a natural resource, but it is a non-renewable resource, which means that crude oil supplies will eventually run out if we keep collecting them. Vinyl is also not sustainable since it is partly made from crude oil. There is no part of the creation of vinyl that is eco-friendly. This is because it is derived from crude oil and undergoes a lot of processing in order to be created in a useful way.Ĭollecting crude oil, refining it, and processing it all create the potential for pollution and other environmental hazards which can cause harm to people and animals as well. The answer is no, vinyl is not eco-friendly. Now that we have some background information about what vinyl is, we can decide whether or not it is eco-friendly. However, vinyl has the advantage of being more resistant to chemicals, as well as coming in more colors and styles than rubber does. Vinyl products tend to be cheaper but less durable than the same products made of rubber. In the floor mat and rain boot examples mentioned earlier, rubber versions are more durable and as a result, more expensive. Other differences between the two include affordability and durability, which often influence our decision in terms of which material to purchase. In some forms, vinyl can have a feel that is similar to rubber, which is why they are both used for similar products such as floor mats and rain boots.īut vinyl and rubber are actually very different in terms of chemical makeup and how they’re made.įor starters, the biggest difference is that most rubber is a plant-based, natural product while vinyl is a synthetic product. PVC pipe), vinyl is what you’re looking at. So anytime you see plastic that is labeled as PVC (e.g.

The abbreviation for polyvinyl chloride is PVC. The specific name for plastic vinyl is polyvinyl chloride, named for the chemicals it contains as well as the polymerization reaction that it undergoes to create it. That means that vinyl is a type of plastic. Most plastics are made of crude oil as well and undergo similar processing. One of the main ingredients used to create vinyl is a derivative of crude oil. It is so popular that North America produces over 14 billion pounds of vinyl per year. There are hundreds of other products that can be created using vinyl as well. Some of the products made from vinyl include inflatables, children’s toys, records, and electrical and building components, among others. Pure vinyl resin is white, but this resin can be processed in different ways to create different products.įor example, sometimes chemicals are added to give it different textures or make it more elastic. The ethylene used to create vinyl comes from crude oil, while chloride comes from salt.Įthylene and chloride are combined to create ethylene dichloride, which then undergoes further reactions to create what is called polyvinyl chloride resin, otherwise known as vinyl. It consists mainly of two ingredients: ethylene and chloride. Vinyl is a synthetic product that is relatively simple in terms of how it is made.

Yellow vinyl player