Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a versatile and resource efficient thermoplastic with the widest range of applications of any of the plastics family making it useful in virtually all areas of human activity.

Without additives PVC would not be a particularly useful substance, but its compatibility with a wide range of additives – to soften it, colour it, make it more processable or longer lasting, results in a broad range of potential applications from car underbody seals and flexible roof membranes to pipes and window profiles. PVC products can be rigid or flexible, opaque or transparent, coloured and insulating or conducting. There is not just one PVC but a whole family of products tailor-made to suit the needs of each application. Unlike most other thermoplastics, the majority of PVC applications have a lifetime of between 10 and 100 years. This requires proven durability and stabilisers play an important part in achieving such performance. All polymers require stabilisers of one sort or another; PVC is no different in this respect.