Energy efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.PVC labelssaves energy and reduces CO2 emissions. PVC takes less energy to produce than many competing products, and 20 percent less than other plastics. PVC also saves fossil fuels. Its principal raw material (nearly 60 percent) is chlorine derived from common salt. PVC building products are highly energy-efficient.

PVC building products such as PVC labels are highly durable, which conserves resources. They will not rot or corrode like many other materials and do not need cleaning with harsh chemicals or frequent painting.

PVC labelsis inherently recyclable. More than 1 billion pounds are recycled annually (mostly post-industrial), according to a recent study. Many carpet manufacturers using PVC backing have highly successful recycling programs, including C&A Floorcoverings (which has recycled over 100 million pounds of vinyl backed carpet). The Vinyl Institute recently won an award from WasteCap Wisconsin for support for recycling vinyl siding cutoffs at job sites.

Many manufacturers make products using recycled PVC content – for instance, some vinyl carpet backing systems are made of 100 percent recycled materials, representing many tons of vinyl scrap per year that would otherwise go to a landfill. For PVC pipe, recycling is seldom an issue because the product stays on the job almost indefinitely, providing decades of reliable service. PVC vinyl roofing membranes can be recycled into such second-generation products as speed bumps, parking curbs and asphalt patching material.

If recycling is not economical and PVC scrap must be landfilled, it can be trusted to remain safely inert under normal landfill conditions. PVC is so stable in landfills that vinyl membranes have been used as landfill liners and caps. A recent study conducted by the Vinyl Institute analyzed vinyl scrap under simulated landfill conditions and found that there was little if any degradation of the material.