Report Touts the Benefits of PVC Pipe for Sewer, Water Projects
Sustainable Solutions Corporation has released the Life Cycle Assessment of PVC Water and Sewer Pipe and Comparative Sustainability Analysis of Pipe Materials, the first comprehensive environmental review of underground piping systems in North America. Based on a 100-year life cycle assessment methodology, the review includes a study of polyvinyl chloride pipe conducted according to life cycle assessment (LCA) standards ISO 14040 series. The life cycle analysis used in the report was peer reviewed by an international panel of experts for ISO 14040 series compliance. The review also makes reference to the 2015 Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for PVC Pipe, which complies with ISO 14025 standards and was independently certified by global health organization NSF International.
To ensure industry transparency, Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association commissioned Sustainable Solutions Corporation as independent experts to perform an LCA for commonly used PVC pipes for drinking water, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer piping covering the 4 to 60 inch rigid PVC pipe market. The pipe encompassed by this study is representative of PVC pipe manufactured in the U.S. and Canada, which uses a tin-based stabilizer and does not contain phthalates, lead, or cadmium. This comprehensive study also contains a comparative review of the corresponding alternative pipe products based on publicly available information on durability, smoothness factors, and statistical data, as well as environmental data when available.
“The PVC pipe industry is the only pipe material that has transparently reported their sustainability and environmental impacts,” said Tad Radzinski, President, Sustainable Solutions Corporation. This is welcome information for both policy makers and utility professionals to make fully informed decisions in their efforts to improve underground infrastructure with sustainable products.”
The report synthesizes complex sustainability information in order to provide information in regard to piping systems. Among its many findings, the study shows PVC pipe provides both environmental and economic advantages to solving the water infrastructure needs for utilities and municipal projects. PVC pipe has fewer environmental impacts from a life cycle and carbon footprint perspective when compared to alternative materials, including lower embodied energy, lower use-phase energy, and longer life attributes. Also, the energy required to pump water through PVC pipe over a 100-year design life remains constant because PVC pipe walls are smooth and do not roughen over time. This generates overall life cycle cost savings and a lower carbon footprint compared to alternative materials that require more pumping energy over time due to corrosion, leaks and internal degradation.
The comparative sustainability analysis references over 200 sources and studies to provide the most up-to-date and comprehensive industry review of the health, safety, performance characteristics, and sustainability attributes of different pipe materials available. The PVC Pipe LCA and EPD support the goals and vision of the 2010 USEPA Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Policy and the 2015 USEPA National Water Program on Climate Change for ensuring the long-term sustainability of water infrastructure.
To download a copy of the report, click here.
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