Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a synthetic polymer widely used in various sectors, including medical, textile, and chemical, due to its characteristics of very low toxicity, high biocompatibility, and ability to be soluble in water.

In recent years, this material has gained increasing popularity in the sustainability field, as its use allows the abandonment of traditional plastics in favor of more sustainable materials (think, for example, of dishwasher pods, which can be transported in a cardboard box instead of having to deal with disposing of the bottle).

But you already know: all that glitters is rarely gold. Over time, the biodegradability of PVA has been the subject of controversy, prompting the scientific community to pause and conduct more research. Let's see why.

What's the problem?

As we've mentioned, one of the most interesting characteristics of polyvinyl alcohol is its ability to be soluble in water but not in organic solvents, making it ideal for applications such as detergent pods and sheets. However, a material's water solubility doesn't necessarily equate to its biodegradability, and this is where further studies were needed to better understand the problem.

In short, it's understood that the biodegradability of PVA depends on several factors, including its degree of polymerization and the environmental conditions in which degradation occurs: in controlled environments such as municipal wastewater treatment plants, PVA biodegrades quickly and efficiently thanks to the presence of specific microorganisms that decompose it. However, in natural environments, the situation is less clear, and some studies have shown that PVA can leave residues if released directly into soil or seawater.

But so?

So, as usual, life is a matter of compromises: polyvinyl alcohol undoubtedly offers enormous advantages in terms of reducing traditional plastic and its waste, but that doesn't mean it's a flawless material that can be used casually to do laundry in the river. Always, for any material, it's necessary to understand its strengths and weaknesses and maximize the former while minimizing the latter.

In the case of PVA, this means appreciating it for all the possibilities it offers us to minimize the use and waste of traditional plastic materials and, at the same time, promoting appropriate disposal practices to minimize environmental impact.