For
Immediate Release - February 4, 2004
Contact: Frank Ackerman, Tufts University (617) 627-6957
Economic Analysis Supports Phase-out
for Environmentally Hazardous Vinyl
Vinyl may
have a cheap look and feel, but cost-wise, it's no less expensive than
alternative materials that are safer for people and the environment, reveals a
new report released today by Tufts University researchers. The report, "The Economics of
Phasing Out Vinyl"
concludes the economic advantages of vinyl or PVC are overstated, and that
substituting vinyl with safer alternatives is cost-effective and practical.
"The American public has been
sold a short-sighted and wildly exaggerated claim about the economic benefits
of vinyl. In the long run, vinyl is no bargain at all," said lead author Frank
Ackerman, director of the Research and Policy Program, Global Development and
Environment Institute, at Tufts University. "Our analysis shows phasing-out vinyl in favor of safer
alternatives makes good sense from an economic perspective," Ackerman said.
The report
compares the cost of common vinyl products, including roofing, flooring, pipes,
medical devices and siding. In many cases, a vinyl product that looks cheaper
than alternatives, based on the price tag alone, is actually more expensive
based on life cycle costing - that is, the total cost to the user for purchase,
maintenance, and disposal over a fixed number of years. "In all product categories we looked
at, affordable alternatives are available," Ackerman said.
For
example, vinyl flooring, which has the lowest first cost among the 12 flooring
products examined in the Tufts report, is in fact the most expensive flooring
option based on a life cycle basis, due to its relatively short lifetime and
high maintenance requirements.
Thus, the initial cost savings from vinyl are swamped by high costs over
the life cycle of the flooring.
"Vinyl is
one of the most environmentally hazardous consumer products ever produced. This report proves that a vinyl
phase-out is justified on economic, as well as environmental grounds," said
Bill Walsh, National Coordinator of the Healthy Building Network.
The
by-products of vinyl production are highly persistent, bioaccumulative and
toxic, including lead, mercury, and the potent human carcinogen dioxin, for
which there is no known safe dose.
Nations around the world and several U.S. cities have taken steps to
avoid vinyl products in favor of safer alternatives. This month, the U.S. Green Building Council, which has
created the nation's leading green building standards, will initiate a process
to consider whether green credits should be issued to buildings that avoid
vinyl.
Read the full report, "The Economics of Phasing Out Vinyl" (PDF)