Increasing the Recycling of PVC Flooring Requires Phthalate Removal for Ensuring Consumers’ Safety: A Cross-Checked Substance Flow Analysis of Plasticizers for Switzerland

As our planet grapples with the severe repercussions of plastic pollution, mechanical recycling has been proposed as a potential remedy. However, increasing mechanical recycling may have unintended negative consequences. For example, recycling of PVC flooring containing hazardous plasticizers that were used in the past may lead to continued exposure. Here we propose measures to increase recycling while circumventing adverse health impacts caused by legacy additives. For this, we conduct a dynamic substance flow analysis for Switzerland and the time period from 1950 to 2100, focusing on three plasticizers: di­(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diisononyl phthalate (DiNP), and di­(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHT). We quantify the uncertainty of results, check their plausibility against measured concentrations in samples representative for the Swiss market, and compare them with modeled substance flows in Germany. Based on the cross-checked model, future average concentrations of DEHP in PVC flooring on the Swiss market are expected to be above the legal limit of 0.1 wt % for several decades if increased recycling rates are implemented without additional measures. Phasing out the potentially concerning DiNP, too, and preventing phthalates from entering recycling would lower their average market concentrations to values below 0.1 wt % and enable increasing recycling rates without compromising product safety. Analogous measures could help achieve this goal across other European countries and product groups.