What Are the Common Eco-friendly Plasticizers in the PVC Industry?

What Are the Common Eco-friendly Plasticizers in the PVC Industry?

When it comes to plasticizers, some people think of them as indispensable additives in PVC products, while others think they are a bad thing. This is because traditional plasticizers commonly used in the past few decades contain toxic substances. Studies have found that these substances can cause irreversible damage to the human body, and some countries and regions have even restricted or banned the use of plasticizers. In order to improve production efficiency without harming human health, environmentally friendly plasticizers have emerged in response to the development of the times. They not only have comparable performance to traditional plasticizers, but also have advantages that the former do not have - environmental protection and non-toxicity. Therefore, environmentally friendly plasticizers are popular in the production of products in sensitive fields such as medical devices and children's toys, and manufacturers also need to choose different environmentally friendly plasticizers according to the different performance requirements of different products.

Generally speaking, there are four main types of environmentally friendly plasticizers used in production:

Citrate Plasticizers (Like ATBC)

Made from natural citric acid (the same compound that gives lemons their tartness)

Key benefits: Resists oil, sunlight, and mold growth – perfect for products that need to stay clean and durable

Common uses: Food containers, medical gloves, IV bags, and other healthcare essentials

Epoxidized Vegetable Oil (Like ESBO)

Derived from soybean oil and other plant oils

Key benefits: Makes PVC soft without toxic additives

Common uses: Children’s toys, food packaging films, and even some car interior parts

Bio-based Plasticizers

As the name suggests, bio-based plasticizers are made from renewable crops such as corn and sugar cane and are safer than traditional petroleum-based plasticizers. It has excellent compatibility with PVC, which means that its plasticizing efficiency is comparable to that of traditional plasticizers. In addition, it is environmentally friendly and non-toxic, and is widely used in the production of products such as synthetic leather, flexible PVC film and vinyl toys.

DEHCH Plasticizer

DEHCH is a phthalate-free plasticizer with the significant advantages of no precipitation and low odor. In addition, DEHCH has reached FDA food grade, which means that when producing products such as vinyl toys, medical hoses, and plastic wrap, no toxic substances that threaten human health will be produced, that is, products made by adding DEHCH plasticizers in production can be used with confidence.

Although the sources of the plasticizers mentioned above are different, they all have the advantage of being environmentally friendly. From a long-term perspective, this advantage can improve the reputation of plasticizers to a certain extent, so that people will not give up buying when they see plasticizers added during the production process of the product, and it can also increase the profits of manufacturers. PVC that's eco-friendly is already becoming the norm in industries that put safety and sustainability first, like healthcare (medical tubing, gloves, hospital supplies), children's products (soft toys, teethers, school supplies), the food industry (cling film, takeout containers, beverage seals), and automotive (dashboard coatings, seat coverings, interior trim).

More and more companies are turning to eco-friendly plasticizers, and they are investing in better bio-based formulations that perform just as well as traditional plasticizers, but without the extra cost of damaging the environment. As production scales up, the price of related products will drop, making eco-friendly plasticizers the default choice for additives in most PVC products. Eco-friendly plasticizers are not just a trend, they are the future. Driven by health, legal and environmental factors, safer PVC products will continue to develop, and continued research on eco-friendly plasticizers is expected to bring more innovative market solutions.