Traditional Plastic (PVC) vs. Eco-Friendly Plastic Comparison Chart
The following chart compares traditional (PVC) plastic with recycled and biodegradable plastics.
Depending on your product and your needs, one eco-friendly plastic may be better than another.
| Material Type | Supply Status | Clarity | Forming | Impact Resistance | Energy Index | CO2 Index | Heat Deflection |
| PVC | Excellent | Very Good | Excellent | Very Good | 100% | 100% | Excellent |
| RPET | Good | Good | Good | Good | >137% | >220% | Good |
| APET | Very Good | Excellent | Very Good | Good | 137% | 220% | Very Good | RPETG | Fair | Good | Very Good | Very Good | >137% | >220% | Good | PLA | Limited | Very Good | Good | Good | 100% | Unknown | Poor |
PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) - Comes in both rigid and flexible films. It is one of the most popular plastics. Commercial advantages are low material cost, quick forming time, paints & bonds well, and optical clarity.
RPET (Recycled-Poly Ethylene Terephthalate): Post-consumer recycled PET. Less clear and more brittle than PET.
APET (Amorphous-Poly Ethylene Terephthalate): APET has unmatched clarity and good chemical resistance. APET has excellent taste and odor properties. APET will work better than other plastic resins in cold temperature applications. It is 100% recyclable and environmentally safe.
RPETG (recycled polyethylyene terephthlatate glycol): PETG (RPETG), polyvinyl chloride and oriented polystyrene (OPS). RPETG is less clear than PVC. It is considered brittle and tends to stick to the molds during forming. It is also less available than PET and PVC.
PET (Poly Ethylene Terephthalate): PET is made of Carbon, Oxygen and hydrogen. It is not toxic and has no toxic components. If burned, it will emit CO2 and water with some carbon monoxide. It is the material currently used to manufacture soda and water bottles and it is one of the most recycled plastics.
PLA (Poly Lactic Acid): PLA is biodegradable. It has good chemical resistance and low taste and odor properties. PLA has high clarity, is thermoformed under higher heat and presser. It seals well to itself but not to other substrates.
Source: Europe - Eco-profiles of the European Plastics Industry - http://Lca.plasticseurope.org/main2.htm
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