BRUSSELS (Nov.2 , 2:35 p.m. ET)  — Major producers of PVC products, plasticisers and other PVC additives have formed the PVCMed Alliance to promote the value of PVC use in health-care applications.

PVCMed Alliance spokesperson Brigitte Dero said: “The PVCMed Alliance will actively communicate about PVC and its additives, its properties and its essential contribution to quality care delivery for health-care professionals. It will also promote innovative and environmentally friendly practices in PVC health-care applications.”

Members of the PVCMed Alliance are BASF, Colorite Europe, Eastman, OXEA, Renolit and Tarkett.

PVC has been the target of campaigns from activists who question the polymer’s environmental impact. Plasticizers based on phthalates have also been at the center of health concerns, leading to some being banned for use in certain applications. Plasticizer producers have meanwhile developed new products that do not use phthalates.

The alliance points out the beneficial role PVC has played since the 1960s in medical devices and applications in clinical environments. It estimates nearly 30 percent of all plastic-based medical devices are made of PVC.

The two main applications for PVC in the medical sector are flexible containers and tubing, such as blood bags and tubing, in which the PVC is made flexible by the addition of plasticizers.

The alliance said: “[PVC’s] use in both single and multiple-use devices has proved instrumental in reducing the risk of life-threatening and healthcare acquired infections.”

The PVCMed Alliance has launched a website to provide information and raise awareness among health-care professionals and regulators: www.pvcmed.org.

Among its plans, the alliance said it will seek partnerships with public and health authorities to find recycling solutions to the PVC medical waste that could actually be recycled.

PVCMed Alliance is based in Brussels.