Background: With the impact of global warming and the active period of the earth's crust, various disasters have occurred frequently around the world. Behind these disasters, not only human casualties but also property losses are significant. Buildings for daily living and urban-rural infrastructure have suffered varying degrees of damage. PVC-related products such as power cables, water supply pipes, drainage pipes, indoor panels, profiles, and decorative building materials have all been damaged to different extents. In post-disaster reconstruction, the above-mentioned products need to be replaced or repaired.

Real estate and infrastructure are the main application areas of PVC.

Figure 1: Changes in China's PVC Consumption Structure from 2020 to 2024 (Unit: 10,000 tons)

PVC demand in areas such as piping, profiles, flooring, and cables constitutes around 70% of total PVC consumption. Therefore, the construction and real estate activity cycles globally are generally consistent with the traditional seasonal demand cycles for PVC. Changes in these activities also drive changes in PVC demand.

II. Demand Estimation for PVC in Restoration and Reconstruction

According to relevant data surveys, the consumption of PVC products per 100 square meters of housing is approximately 0.0384 tons (based on ideal construction demands, the usage and materials should be determined according to local conditions or national circumstances, as shown in the table below).

Table 2: Consumption of PVC products per 100 square meters of housing (for reference only)

For example, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, at 16:10 on January 1, 2024. According to official Japanese statistics, the earthquake caused severe damage to houses, with 22,374 buildings confirmed as damaged. It should be noted that the housing damage data represents confirmed figures. Assuming each building is 100 square meters, post-earthquake repairs would require at least 859 tons or more of PVC raw materials. This estimate is based on an optimal construction scenario. Similarly, disasters worldwide pose significant challenges to housing and infrastructure, all of which face the need for post-disaster reconstruction.