The study, "Paradoxes in Vinyl and Sustainable Design," was conducted for the Design Futures Council, a U.S. think tank for the architecture and design community, by Greenway Consulting, a leading consulting firm for design community professionals.
The study found that vinyl has both supporters and foes, including the most informed experts on green and sustainable design.
Often criticized as a "non-green" material, vinyl has energy and environmental benefits that can offset its deficits, according to the review.
Greenway's study further indicated that much of the controversy surrounding vinyl stems from stakeholder concerns related to its production, disposal and its effect on workers, communities and the environment. This concerns two major topics: dioxin and vinyl chloride monomer. Current studies state that vinyl production is a small contributor of dioxin, less than one-half of one percent of the total emissions. While workplace exposure to vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) was a concern in the 1970s, changes in the vinyl manufacturing industry have virtually eliminated risk of exposure.
