Number

114-EN

Section

General Section

Use

Abstract

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has been targeted for replacement in electronic products because of concerns about the environmental and human health impacts associated with the disposal of PVC wires and cables. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) are a class of potential alternatives to PVC. TPEs are inherently flexible, which can eliminate the need for phthalate plasticisers; however, they require an added flame retardant to meet regulatory requirements. To ensure that the replacements for PVC have a lower adverse impact to human health and the environment, potential replacement materials were evaluated using an integrated approach that incorporates a comparative chemical hazard screening step based on the GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals [http://www.cleanproduction.org/greenscreen.php], a framework developed by the non-governmental organisation Clean Production Action.

Substituted substances

Alternative Substances

Reliability of information

Evidence of implementation: there is evidence that the solution was implemented and in use at time of publication

Reason substitution

other toxic effects

Hazard Assessment

Substances to be substituted: The material PVC have no official hazard classification while several of the possible associated phthalates are classified as toxic to reproduction. PVC may also cause release of hazardous chemicals during production (mercury) and during combustion (dioxins). Alternative substances: The alternatives substances are not on the database of hazardous substances according to SUBSPORTplus screening criteria (SDSC) and have no official risk or hazard classification.

Description of Substitution

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is widely used in wire and cable applications in electronics because of its low cost and inherent fire resistance. Recently, PVC has been targeted for replacement in electronics due to concerns about the environmental and human health impacts associated with the disposal of PVC wires and cables. To be flexible enough for use in wires and cables, PVC also requires the addition of plasticisers, most commonly phthalates. Transitioning away from PVC can have the added benefit of eliminating phthalate plasticisers, as well. There are alternatives to PVC for most applications. Some commercially available materials are listed in Table 1. Replacement materials for PVC must be carefully evaluated to ensure that alternatives have lower impact to human health and the environment, and do not merely shift the impacts. For example, PVC is inherently flame retardant due to the high chlorine content. The use of other materials, such as TPEs, can require the addition of flame retardants to meet flammability requirements. However, there are many flame retardants that are themselves substances of concern, such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs). We want to avoid a situation in which PVC is eliminated, but the flammability performance must be achieved through the addition of another substance of concern. Table 1: Examples of Commercially Available PVC-Free Materials?Note: This table is not an HP approved material list or an approved vendor list.

SupplierKraton PolymersPolyOne GLSSABIC Innovative PlasticsShowa Kasei Kogyo

Trade Name	Resin
Kraton™	Styrene-Ethylene/Butylene-Styrene (SEBS) Polymer (CAS#66070-58-4) and Olefinic Polymers
OnFlex HFFR 320-01, OnFlex HFFR 360-0185	Thermoplastic Elastomer
Noryl	Polyphenylene Ether (PPE CAS#25134-01-4), Styrene-(ethylenebutylene)-styrene (SEBS), High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS CAS#9003-55-8) and Polystyrene (CAS#9003-53-6)
Maxiron	Polyethylene and Polystyrene

To ensure that replacements for PVC, including additives, have lower impact to human health and the environment, an integrated assessment approach was used to analyse potential replacements. HP uses an approach that integrates several different tools, and introduces their use at different stages in the material assessment process. The tools in this method include an early hazard screening step based on the GreenScreenTM for Safer Chemicals [http://www.cleanproduction.org/greenscreen.php], restricted substance list (RSL) screening, performance testing, life cycle analysis (LCA), and exposure or risk assessment. This integrated alternative assessment protocol shares many features with the BizNGO Chemical Alternatives Assessment Protocol [http://www.bizngo.org/pdf/BizNGO_CAAProtocol_30nov2011.pdf], with which it was co-developed. Evaluating replacements for a material, such as compounded PVC, is more complex than single chemical substitutions because multiple constituents can be in a single material. However, by using hazard screening early in the evaluation process, we were able to assess individual constituents of formulations and identify unsuitable alternatives before investing the time and resources needed to conduct performance, exposure, and life-cycle assessments. A key success factor in the search for safer alternatives has been the relationship between HP and the suppliers that formulate the replacement materials and chemicals. HP does not formulate resins; we depend on the expertise of our suppliers to innovate solutions that meet the environmental, regulatory and quality requirements that our customers demand. Wire and cable vendors generally use polymers prepared by resin suppliers to form the various parts of power cords, so to maximise efficiency and effectiveness, HP worked directly with the resin suppliers to assess formulations. To help communicate our requirements and enable the resin suppliers to comply, HP conducted GreenScreen™ training for formulators, which enabled them to assess alternative materials themselves and also to evaluate assessments completed by others. GreenScreen™ results, and the results of the other evaluations, were used to select resins that had lower impact to human health and the environment than PVC and phthalates. Once acceptable replacement materials were identified, cable vendors were able to select materials from the approved material list in order to manufacture PVC-free power cords. PolyOne GLS, a resin supplier, provided the remarks below to provide insight into the materials selected and their approach to selecting safer materials. ____________________________________________________________________________________ PolyOne GLS Thermoplastic ElastomersThe goal for PolyOne GLS was to develop a material, that utilised alternatives to halogenated flame retardant systems and phthalates that meets the requirements for UL-62 flexible power cables for use by HP in consumer electronics applications. PolyOne GLS is a formulator of material solutions for the plastics industry. We work with a variety of neat resin building blocks. We take these materials, along with additives, and develop specialty formulations that meet customer and/or industry specifications. We developed the OnFlex™ HFFR 300 series of products to meet the technical criteria of UL-62, along with REACH, RoHS, TSCA and other regulatory initiatives. We then worked with HP to submit products through life cycle analysis using the GreenScreen™ method developed by Clean Production Action and adopted by EPA and other organisations. PolyOne GLS voluntarily submitted our materials for comprehensive chemical screening. An independent outside lab reviewed our formulations, using the GreenScreen™ criteria, down to 100 parts per million. Normal screens for materials look at components that are greater than 1000 parts per million are common, but we felt that it was important to fully understand the product and its impact on our environment.A key lesson PolyOne GLS learned from the GreenScreen™ analysis was that while our products yielded a “best in industry” weighted average score of between Benchmark 2 (Use but search for safer substitutes) and Benchmark 3 (Use but still opportunity for improvement), there were components of the formulation that could be changed in future generations to achieve higher score. These changes are focused in the area of colorants and functional additives. PolyOne has incorporated the results of this initiative and are in the process of developing the next generation of OnFlex™ products. We will try to integrate as many of these potential improvements as possible. Our goal is to continually increase the GreenScreen™ benchmark score with each generation, and as safer raw materials are identified and become available.We have seen significant effects on our business in multiple ways. First, OnFlex™ HFFR 300 series is being established as an alternative to materials containing halogens and phthalates, and can support this with GreenScreen™ results. Second, the process, introduced to us by HP, is helping to establish PolyOne GLS’s credibility in a non-traditional wire and cable market. This is having a very positive effect on our business with both HP, and the industry as a whole. The third effect we have experienced is a change in the way we examine and screen potential ingredients for our current and future formulae. We are now looking for alternate ways of making products with less ingredients and substituting better ones, where possible. Finally, this process has helped bring PolyOne GLS into areas that involve “Green” chemistry and the concepts behind it. We will continue to embrace this process and advance beyond our current initiatives.

A description of the company´s strategy to replace brominated flame retardants can be found in the case story database (case 124-EN).

Case/substitution evaluation

This is a case description from a user. We have no access to the full chemical content of the mentioned alternatives from all the suppliers, but the ones disclosed do pass the SUBSPORTplus criteria. The case story describes a strategy of how a company can work to eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals, even for such a complex situation as replacement of PVC.

State of implementation

Full capacity

Enterprise using the alternative

http://www.hp.com

Availability ofAlternative

on the market

Type of information supplier

User

Contact

http://www.hp.com

Further information

For more information on selecting safer alternatives visit the http://www.bizngo.org and for more information on the GreenScreen™ visit the Clean Production Action website http://www.cleanproduction.org.

Date, reviewed

December 11, 2020