PVC: Emissions
The coal-carbide route emits three to five times more
What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint per tonne, split by lifecycle phase (feedstock, production, movement, use, end of life), the global total, other environmental impacts, levers and low-carbon routes, India's position, and where the investment opportunity lies. Emission intensity 3.70 t CO2e per t range about 1.9-2.2 on the ethylene route; about 6-10+ on the coal-carbide route (indicative) · global average weighted about 70% ethylene route and 30% carbide route; VCM about 3.5 t CO2e per t (VCM tile) plus polymerisation and drying Global emissions per year 175 Mt CO2e per year 2023-2025 · about 3.7 t x about 47 Mt (indicative)Per t of suspension PVC resin, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: derived from VCM tile; Plastics Europe PVC eco-profile about 2 t CO2e per t (indicative); Chinese carbide-route LCA literature (indicative). Global total: derived (indicative).
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Feedstock 93% Production / process 5% Movement 2%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feedstock | about 3.5 t CO2e per t (VCM, including chlorine and ethylene or carbide) | 93% | Carbide arc furnaces on coal power, coal and coke; chlor-alkali power; ethylene cracking | The carbide route is 3-5 times the ethylene route | VCM tile (indicative) |
| Production / process | about 0.2 t CO2e per t | 5% | Steam for VCM stripping and resin drying, power for reactors | Emulsion PVC uses more drying energy | indicative |
| Movement | about 0.05 t CO2e per t | 2% | Container shipping | About a fifth crosses borders | indicative |
| Use | not applicable | – | No direct emissions | Plasticisers can migrate from flexible PVC; uPVC windows can cut building heat loss versus single-glazed metal frames (indicative) | n/a |
| End of life | about 1.4 t CO2 per t if incinerated, plus HCl; near zero in landfill | – | Long life of pipes and profiles; legacy additives | Most PVC is still in use; Europe's VinylPlus reports about 0.7 Mt a year recycled (indicative, 2023). PVC in packaging contaminates PET recycling. Globally only about 9% of plastic waste was recycled in 2019; about 19% was incinerated, about 50% landfilled and 22% mismanaged (indicative, OECD Global Plastics Outlook 2022). | stoichiometric; VinylPlus (indicative); OECD 2022 (indicative) |
Other environmental impacts
Mercury use and emissions on the carbide route; carbide slag; VCM is a human carcinogen; dioxins from open burning of PVC waste, a real risk in Indian dumpsites; legacy lead and phthalates in old products.
Levers to cut emissions
- Replace carbide-route PVC with ethylene-route PVC: cuts about 4-8 t CO2e per t (VCM tile, indicative); India's new domestic ethylene-based capacity displaces Chinese carbide imports.
- Renewable power for chlor-alkali: chlorine's power use is the largest controllable item on the ethylene route (DCM Shriram added 44 MW of hybrid renewable power, chlorine tile).
- Mercury-free catalysts for acetylene hydrochlorination, required in direction by the Minamata Convention.
- Recycle pipe, profile and cable waste; VinylPlus Europe recycles about 0.7 Mt a year (indicative).
- Lead-free (calcium-zinc) stabilisers and non-phthalate plasticisers to make recyclate usable.
India
India's PVC footprint depends on origin: Chinese carbide-route imports (1.17 Mt of S-PVC in 2025) carry about 6-10 t CO2e per t, while Reliance's ethylene-based output is about 2 t (VCM tile, indicative). India's chlor-alkali runs on coal-heavy power (chlorine tile).
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.Low-carbon routes
| Route | Intensity | Cost premium | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethylene-route PVC with renewable-powered chlor-alkali and bio-attributed ethylene | below 1-1.5 t CO2e per t (indicative) | not published | bio-attributed PVC sold in Europe (INEOS Inovyn Biovyn, indicative) | VCM tile (indicative) |
| Mechanically recycled rigid PVC | about 0.3-0.6 t CO2e per t (indicative) | usually below virgin (indicative) | established in Europe for window profiles and pipe cores (VinylPlus); limited in India | indicative |