2025 The Future of the Polyvinyl Chloride Cycle - Current Status of Falling Short of the 2002 Numerical Target of 50

2025 The Future of the Polyvinyl Chloride Cycle - Current Status of Falling Short of the 2002 Numerical Target of 50
The "50% recycling rate" target set by the Japan Vinyl Chloride Industry and Environment Association in 2002 was widely accepted by society as a numerical value symbolizing a recycling-oriented society. Vinyl chloride resin is widely used for building materials, piping, flooring materials, wall materials, etc., and there were strong concerns about the generation of hydrogen chloride and dioxin at the time of its disposal, so there was a need to both reduce the environmental burden and recycle the material. At the time, the Basic Law for Establishing a Recycling-based Society and the Construction Recycling Law were in effect, and with the Kyoto Protocol coming into effect, the reduction of greenhouse gases was also an urgent issue, and society as a whole was shifting from waste management to resource recycling.

In 2025, more than 20 years later, the total amount of waste plastic discharged will be in the range of 7 to 8 million tons per year, and the effective utilization rate will be nearly 90%. However, most of the waste plastic is recovered thermally, i.e., heat is recovered by incineration, and material recycling remains at around 25% of the total. Even for vinyl chloride products, the recycling rate is only about 30%, and the numerical target of 50% set for 2002 has not been reached.

On the other hand, progress in related technologies has been steady: under the Law for Promotion of Recycling of Plastic Resources, which will take effect in 2022, attempts have been made to recycle plastic window frames and flooring materials for construction, and technologies have been developed to remove foreign substances and treat lead-based stabilizers. Furthermore, in cooperation with blast furnace makers, chemical recycling has progressed, in which PVC waste is used as a reductant, and new inter-industrial recycling linking the steel and plastics industries has been developed. However, issues such as regional differences in economics and collection systems remain.

Although it is clear that the current status in 2025 is unachievable in terms of the numerical targets set in 2002, two decades of efforts have laid a solid foundation. Although the PVC cycle still faces challenges, it continues to take on the challenge of deepening the recycling-oriented society.