Microplastics and recycled PVC: what the sources say

Milieuprestatie

6 Nov

Microplastics are in the news every week, and PVC is easily blamed. That deserves a proper answer, built on sources and not on slogans. This article shows where microplastics really come from, why cladding made of recycled PVC releases a negligible amount after installation, and what we do to keep the moments where it can happen (cutting and installing) as clean as possible.

The short version

Most microplastics come from tyres, textiles and paint, not from building façades.
With recycled PVC cladding, microplastics are released only while cutting and installing on site. That is a one-off moment, and the dust can be collected.
After installation the façade is static, unpainted and maintenance-free. Over a service life of 70 years or more, the amount of microplastics released is negligible.
The difference with a tyre is the use phase: a tyre wears every day you drive, a façade does nothing.
We found no published measurement of microplastic release from PVC cladding, so we don't quote a number. Our conclusion follows from how the product works and is used.

First, what are we talking about?

Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 mm. The European Environment Agency (EEA) splits them into two groups. Primary microplastics are released as small particles from the start, such as tyre dust or synthetic fibres that come off in the washing machine. Secondary microplastics appear when larger plastic items slowly break down through weathering, abrasion or mechanical stress.

That difference matters for a façade. The big sources all involve friction and movement. A façade has neither.

Where do microplastics really come from?

The honest answer is: it depends on who you ask and how they count. Studies use different regions and system boundaries, so treat the figures below as a range, not as one truth.

Share	What it means
15 to 31%	of plastic entering the oceans is primary microplastics (IUCN, 2017)
35%	of primary microplastics come from washing synthetic textiles, globally (European Parliament)
28%	come from tyre wear, globally (European Parliament)
about 8%	of microplastic releases in Europe come from textiles (EEA)

A 2018 study by Eunomia for the European Commission even concluded that tyre wear is potentially the single largest source. The pattern is consistent across studies: the big sources are products that rub, wear or get washed, and building materials are barely visible in these inventories.

Why a façade is not a tyre

This is the most important point in this article. A car tyre is used all day: on every drive it rubs over the road and loses a little material. That is a continuous process that lasts as long as the car is driven. The same goes for clothes in the washing machine, or paint that flakes and gets repainted.

Recycled PVC cladding works the other way round:

While cutting and installing on site, dust and offcuts can arise. This is the only moment when material is really released. It happens once, it is visible, and it can be collected with a shop vacuum.
After installation the façade is static: no friction, no flexing, no washing cycle. The tiles are not painted, so there is no layer that can flake and no repainting round with sanding or scraping. No maintenance is needed, so no grinding or pressure washing either.
Over a service life of 70 years or more the façade stays where it is. The amount of microplastics released in that period is negligible, certainly compared with products that are used and worn down every day.

To be straight with you: we found no published measurement of microplastic release from PVC cladding, and any exterior material weathers to some degree. That is a research gap, not only for our product. Our conclusion that the release after installation is negligible follows from the mechanism (static, unpainted, maintenance-free, long life) and not from a measurement of our own.

What is Europe doing about it?

Regulators are going after the biggest sources first. Euro 7 (Regulation (EU) 2024/1257) sets limits for tyre abrasion and brake particles, with tyre limits applying from 2028. Under REACH (Regulation (EU) 2023/2055), synthetic polymer microparticles that are added on purpose to products are being restricted. And the EU Zero Pollution Action Plan aims to cut microplastics released into the environment by 30% by 2030.

Why recycled PVC changes the picture

Our tiles are made of recycled PVC (rPVC) from construction waste: window frames, pipes and other profiles that already exist. That matters for microplastics in two ways.

Less new plastic. Each m² of façade contains about 24 kg of recycled PVC. That is material that would otherwise be burned or landfilled.
A longer life for the plastic that is already out there. The best way to keep plastic out of the environment is to keep it in use, in a product that stays put for decades.

That is why we always say recycled PVC, not just PVC. The recycled content is the point of the product.

What we do to limit microplastics

Our measures follow the places where particles could realistically arise. Most of them are about how the façade is installed and handled, not about the tile itself.

Static and mechanically fixed. One screw per tile, no glue, no moving parts, so nothing rubs against anything.
Not painted. The colour is in the material. No coating to flake off, no repainting cycle.
Maintenance-free. No intensive cleaning or abrasive treatment during the life of the façade.
Clean cutting. Cutting is the moment with the most dust. We advise a mask, a shop vacuum at the cut and collecting every offcut, so nothing ends up on the ground or in the drain.
Take-back. Offcuts and end-of-life tiles can be returned, so they stay in the recycling loop. Because each tile has one screw, they come off in one piece.
Documented. The system is registered in the Dutch National Environmental Database (NMD, category 1) and we provide a statement in the Digital Information Kit.

What we don't claim

We don't claim that PVC cladding releases no microplastics. We say the release after installation is negligible.
We don't claim a percentage for façades, because we found no verifiable source for one.
We don't claim that our measures remove all risk, only that they address the situations where particles are most likely to arise.

If you know of a peer-reviewed measurement for façade cladding, send it to us and we will update this article. This article is also available in Dutch.

Frequently asked questions

Does a PVC façade release microplastics?

While cutting and installing, dust can arise, which can be collected with a shop vacuum. After installation the façade is static, unpainted and maintenance-free. Over a service life of 70 years or more, the amount of microplastics released is negligible. There is no published measurement for cladding, so we don't quote a number.

Why is a façade different from a car tyre?

A tyre is used every day and loses material on every drive through friction with the road. A façade does not move or rub against anything. That is why tyres and textiles show up as major sources in the research, and building materials barely do.

Is PVC cladding a major source of microplastics?

The sources point to tyres, textiles and other high-friction products as the main contributors. We have not found measurements that place façade cladding among them, but also no study that rules it out.

Does using recycled PVC actually help?

Yes, in two ways: it avoids producing new plastic, and it keeps existing waste in use. It does not by itself change how the finished product behaves outdoors, which is why design (static fixing, no paint, no maintenance) matters just as much.