Medical Device Link.

Ubiquity

In Europe, approximately 6 million tonnes of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) are produced each year, which makes it one of the most widely used plastics. Although it is estimated that PVC represents only one quarter of the total quantity of materials used for medical devices, approximately half of all single-use products are manufactured from this polymer because of its unique properties and cost–performance ratio. Thus, PVC has become a critically important asset to modern healthcare and is set to remain so.1

Despite the popularity of PVC in healthcare, the total overall consumption of the material for healthcare applications (approximately 60000 tons annually) is modest compared with the total quantity employed in society. The relationship between PVC medical devices and PVC used in other applications is seldom considered. The fact that most of the companies involved in the production of PVC medical devices are part of a much broader industry value chain is not always fully appreciated, even by those manufacturing PVC devices. The different partners in the PVC production chain, whether they make the raw PVC material, its additives or convert the compounded PVC into thousands of products, all share a common interest. They all make business by using or converting PVC and therefore have a common interest in PVC being accepted as a material in the sustainable society of the future. This article highlights some of the less appreciated aspects of the PVC industry, which serve to demonstrate its commitment to achieving that goal.

Applications compared

Not only within the healthcare sector is PVC contributing positively to health in Europe. The second highest application in terms of PVC consumption after profiles is pipe systems. PVC pipes have been silently contributing to the well being and improved quality of life of the European population for more than 70 years. Mirroring the fact that the most widespread PVC application in medical devices is medical tubing, much larger diameter PVC pipes play a significant role in delivering drinking water and disposing of waste water. Thirty percent of the pipes that transport drinking water to European consumers are manufactured from PVC and up to 70% of waste water pipes are made from PVC.2 A recent report from the Danish Environment Protection Agency stated that pipes made from PVC secure the purest supply of drinking water.3

Unlike disposable medical devices, which for hygiene reasons are only used once before they are incinerated, the PVC pipes that supply the water and carry away waste water are characterised by their extreme durability. Sixty per cent of all PVC applications have a lifetime of more than 40 years4 and PVC pipes are expected to easily remain in useful service for longer than 100 years. In addition to durability, limited maintenance requirements, light weight and recycling capacity mean that PVC pipes will be one of the preferred options from a sustainability point of view. These two contrasting examples of PVC playing an important role in the safe transportation of fluids, from small medical tubes to large PVC pipes, show the unique contribution of PVC as a material in terms of performance and versatility.

Sustainable development

European PVC raw material manufacturers and converters are committed to an industry voluntary commitment for sustainable development called Vinyl 2010, which is recognised by the United Nations Sustainable Development Commission. Vinyl 2010 is the only industrial voluntary commitment in the world that encompasses an entire value chain from raw material to end product. This includes the PVC raw material producers, the manufacturers of stabilisers and plasticisers used to formulate different PVC types and the 20000 PVC converters, who are manufacturing the wide range of PVC products produced in the European Economic Area.

Far from being the controversial “black sheep” in the plastic family, the PVC industry is now showing what the road to a sustainable society could look like. In addition to working on clearly defined environmental targets with regard to emissions and recycling targets,5 Vinyl 2010 has initiated activities aimed at encouraging future generations, as described below.

Essay competition

The Vinyl 2010 essay competition held in 2009 was open to young adults between 18 and 30 years from around the world. The competition challenged them to write a short essay on this subject: “Faced with a food and energy crisis, how can society improve its well-being?” The competition attracted interest from nearly 1000 young people and 208 essays were submitted.6 The two judging panels consisted of one group of independent, internationally respected sustainability experts, and a group of representatives from industry. Readers interested in viewing the opinions of the coming generation and the ongoing dialogue between the young contestants should visit the website.7

The Vinylgame

Vinyl 2010 also offers an educational computer game. The objective when commissioning this was to encourage people to reflect on sustainable production in a medium that is more likely to interest the young than traditional media. Players of the Vinylgame are challenged by the daily socioeconomic and environmental decisions involved in running their own PVC business. Although fun to play, the choices made in how the company is run illustrate the challenges in balancing economic growth against sustainable development. Within the game, the consequences of playing purely for economic growth without regard to production safety, environmental consequences or issues such as post-use recycling quickly become apparent; the virtual society may opt to take opposing action and trade unions may vote to go on strike.8 VinylGame was the winner of the 2008 Arete prize for responsible communication.

Long term well being

The idea of describing sustainable development essay competitions and educational computer games to the readers of Medical Device Technology may seem a little oblique. Its purpose is to illustrate that although device manufacturers may only consume a small proportion of PVC, they are part of a much broader industry that in many different ways is demonstrating its value in a society trying to find a way to be sustainable in the future.

Ole Grøndahl Hansen is General Manager at the PVC Information Council, Nørre Voldgade 48, DK-1358, Copenhagen, Denmark, tel. +45 3330 8630, e-mail: ogp@pvc.dk www.pvc.dk