Sustainability
PVA water-soluble film
PVA water-soluble film is made from polyvinyl alcohol by physical or chemical treatment. It dissolves rapidly in water and is biodegradable, making it valuable for environmental protection. Since the late 1960s, it has been used in chemical packaging, agricultural film and medical products to replace traditional plastics. As plastic pollution worsens, its role in industrial packaging has grown. The film protects goods and then dissolves or biodegrades, cutting plastic waste.
It is now common in disposable bags, packaging film and laundry bags, especially for chemicals, pesticides and cleaning products. Its non-toxic, water-soluble nature improves safety and reduces pollution. Rising environmental awareness has made PVA film a key part of green packaging and sustainable development.
Solution
Pain point: PVA film costs more than plastic film, so its market reach is small.
Solution: Cut cost by refining the polymerization process, upgrading the raw material formula, scaling up production, and improving sourcing and technology.
Solution: Cut cost by refining the polymerization process, upgrading the raw material formula, scaling up production, and improving sourcing and technology.
Pain point: High solubility can shorten shelf life.
Solution: Modify the PVA chain or add additives to raise strength and durability while keeping solubility.
Solution: Modify the PVA chain or add additives to raise strength and durability while keeping solubility.
Pain point: Making PVA film can release waste water or gas.
Solution: Use closed-loop water systems and gas scrubbers to cut emissions.
Solution: Use closed-loop water systems and gas scrubbers to cut emissions.
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Pain point: Users do not know the benefits.
Solution: Run education campaigns and pilot projects to raise awareness and drive adoption.
Solution: Run education campaigns and pilot projects to raise awareness and drive adoption.
Pain point: In areas with little water, disposal is hard.
Solution: Tune solubility for broader degradation and build take-back systems to keep film out of landfills.
Solution: Tune solubility for broader degradation and build take-back systems to keep film out of landfills.
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Polyva Sustainability Ideas
Our in-house R&D centers have engineered six PVA film systems—over 20 grades—that dissolve completely in water, leave no micro-plastics, and are certified non-toxic. All formulas are now available in plant-derived versions, cutting fossil feedstock by up to 45 %.
Inside our demonstration plant, closed-loop chillers cut water use by 60 %, while waste heat from extrusion lines pre-heats incoming resin, lowering power demand by 18 %. Scrap film is re-granulated on-site and fed straight back into production, creating a zero-waste loop.
We trace every roll back to the resin batch, publish third-party life-cycle data on request, and source only FSC-certified kraft backing and GRS-certified recycled cores. Customers can scan the QR code on any shipment to see carbon, water, and energy footprints in real time.
Need help lowering your own packaging impact? Book a visit to our Sustainability Suite and leave with a custom PVA film strategy—machines, film specs, and end-of-life plan included—to shrink your climate footprint today.
Sustainable materials and production process of PVA water-soluble film
◉ PVA water-soluble film is made of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the core raw material, supplemented by plasticizers, modifiers and other additives, and is prepared by processes such as casting and blow molding. It is completely biodegradable and environmentally friendly. Its main material, polyvinyl alcohol, is a water-soluble polymer obtained by polyolation of vinyl acetate. It contains a large number of hydroxyl groups in its molecular structure and has excellent film-forming properties, oxygen barrier properties and biocompatibility. It can be eventually degraded into CO₂ and H₂O by bacteria and enzymes existing in nature in the natural environment. It has no microplastic pollution and is environmentally friendly. During the production process, companies adjust the water solubility and mechanical properties of the film by adding some modified additives or introducing some special modified groups to meet the performance requirements of different application scenarios.
◉ The mainstream production processes of PVA film include solution casting and extrusion blown film. Solution casting is the earliest film-forming method. According to the different equipment used, it can be divided into annular belt casting and drum casting. This film-making method is to dissolve water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol into a dilute solution as a film-making stock solution. In order to adjust its processing performance, a corresponding plasticizer can be added to the stock solution. The film-making stock solution is cast from the gap or coated on a rotating drying drum or belt by a roller coater.
◉ The coated stock solution evaporates water on the drum or belt to become a dry film. It has the advantages of dense film formation, good film thickness uniformity, and high transparency. It is suitable for the production of high-barrier products and is mainly used in high-barrier scenarios such as daily chemical packaging. However, this production method has low solution concentration, low production capacity, large equipment costs, large floor space, high labor intensity of workers, and high energy consumption, which limits the promotion and application of PVA films.
◉ The blown film method requires PVA to be modified and granulated first, and the molten material is blown into a film through an extruder. This method not only retains the excellent properties of PVA such as water solubility, barrier permeability and biodegradability, but also has the advantages of simple process, low energy consumption, high efficiency and low investment compared to wet and cast film processing technologies.
◉ PVA film is a product with high technology content and high added value. Whether it is the selection of raw materials, or the processing and consumption process, there is no or no release of any toxic or harmful substances, which is conducive to environmental protection and the realization of green consumption. It is an environmentally friendly product with good application prospects. PVA film has been included in the "15th Five-Year Plan" development plan for plastic packaging materials in my country.
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Technology and R&D direction for sustainable development
Polyvinyl alcohol film is the only plastic film that is water-soluble, biodegradable, and can be industrially produced. It is widely used. The current obstacle to mass promotion in various industries is its production cost. Of course, PVA also has room for further reduction in degradation rate.
At present, the degradation of PVA materials in nature is mainly through the action of bacteria and enzymes. Normally, it can be degraded by more than 60% within 180 days. According to the market, there is still a demand for further improvement in the degradation rate of wood products. In terms of raw material optimization, in the future, enterprises can replace petroleum-based raw materials with bio-based PVA to reduce carbon footprint, use renewable resources as raw materials, and reduce dependence on fossil energy. At the same time, the process can improve material performance through blending modification, such as adding natural polymers such as nanocellulose and starch to improve the degradation rate of the film.
Production process innovation focuses on cost reduction, efficiency improvement and environmental protection upgrades. The cast film method increases the production speed from the traditional 2~5m/min to 8~10m/min through an intelligent coating system (such as precision scrapers and infrared drying), reducing energy consumption by 20%. The film blowing method increases the production capacity of a single machine by 80% and reduces waste loss through equipment modification (such as twin-screw extruder). In addition, the research and development of green processes has become a focus, such as waterless melt extrusion technology that can avoid the use of solvents. A patented technology reduces the yellowing of PVA during thermal processing through a step-by-step plasticization process, and improves thermal stability by 15%.
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Sustainable development goals and future prospects
PVA companies will focus on improving the performance and controlling costs of PVA in the future.
◉ Technically, the degradation rate of PVA film in nature will be further improved through modification, with the goal of shortening the degradation cycle of PVA film to within 90 days, and at the same time, the cost will be reduced to less than twice that of ordinary PE plastic bags or even to the same level through large-scale production.
◉ At the market level, high-end fields such as medical (anti-infection disposal bags) and new energy (lithium battery separators) will be expanded to increase the proportion of degradable packaging from the current 15% to 30%.
At the same time, PVA companies will be committed to achieving greening of the entire industry chain and global market expansion.
◉ On the raw material side, promote 100% bio-based substitution of PVA resin and develop recyclable PVA composite materials; on the production side, promote photovoltaic-driven clean production, and reduce carbon emissions by 40% compared to 2025.
◉ In terms of the international market, relying on the "Belt and Road" policy, products will be exported to Southeast Asia, Europe and other regions.
In addition, by establishing industry standards (such as PVA film degradation rate detection specifications), the industry will be driven to transform from "policy-driven" to "market-driven", and ultimately achieve large-scale substitution of traditional plastics.
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