An Innovative Method to Identify Chemical Content of Building Materials and Implications for Global Plastic Pollution Reduction

Abstract

Plastic pollution is transgressing planetary boundaries that maintain the safe operating space for humanity. The building and construction sector is the second largest user of plastics after packaging but has been largely excluded from plastic reduction efforts. One barrier to addressing plastics in building materials is a lack of data on the chemical content of products. We outline a method for estimating the chemical content, including plastic polymers and additives, of building materials using publicly available data. The results identify plastic polymers across many material types, including commonly used materials that may not be thought of as plastic or disclose plastic polymers. This assessment of polymer types reveals that polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polystyrene are used extensively in the built environment even though alternative building materials using little to no plastic are available for many applications. The analysis reveals that chemicals of concern (PlastChem priority chemicals) are common in over a third of the building materials studied. Finally, an insulation materials case study highlights the utility of considering attributes beyond weight percentage that contribute to the mass of plastic polymers present in products as installed. This information supports proposed solutions to reduce plastics in the built environment. The method and dataset are offered to further this emerging research on the environmental health impacts of building materials.