Choices Abound for PVC Christmas Trees This Season

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 3, 2008 (VNS) – Christmas trees made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are more diverse than ever this year, offering realistic, surreal, and even two-dimensional options to suit the tastes and needs of all holiday decorators.

And these uncertain economic times ensure more Americans will be looking at Christmas trees as an investment, one they won't have to replace year after year as with real forest-grown trees.

According to the American Christmas Tree Association, a non-profit organization to educate the public about Christmas trees, the purchase of a single pre-lit artificial Christmas tree costs 70 percent less than the purchase of ten real Christmas trees over the same period.  And if a consumer keeps using an artificial Christmas tree more than ten years, the savings are even greater.

Many other reasons are encouraging consumers to purchase artificial Christmas trees made of PVC.  They are durable, easy to assemble, maintain, and take down, don't leave pesky pine needles on the floor, and will not have unsightly bare spots.

In addition, vinyl trees are approved by the National Fire Protection Association, which reports more than 200 home structure fires annually began with natural Christmas trees, while vinyl trees have fire retardant properties.

Many "empty nest" parents switch to artificial Christmas trees for the ease they bring to set-up and decorating.  And those allergic to terpene (the substance found in the oil or sap of natural trees) or to microscopic mold spores found on natural trees, have determined artificial trees are a healthier option.

While artificial Christmas trees have their detractors, The American Christmas Tree Association states the trees use an extremely high quality PVC that is chemically and mechanically stable and does not affect human health, and that PVC is a safe plastic under normal conditions of use.  Moreover, artificial Christmas trees are made of millions of pounds of recycled vinyl, and the scrap from the manufacture of the trees is also recycled.

Those who miss the scent of a natural tree can supplement their artificial tree with pine-scented candles or air fresheners.

Holiday celebrants have more options than ever to deck the halls with trees of vinyl.  Some trees are more lifelike than ever, in a variety of styles and sizes, and may include polyethylene in the branches for greater realism, while relying on PVC for most of it to keep the trees affordable.  Some are pre-lit, have a frosted look, and are designed for outdoor use.

For the less conventional, artificial PVC trees are available in white, red, pink, lime green, and gothic black, and also as half-trees sliced down the middle, upside-down chandelier trees, and slim trees for those with limited space.

And the truly space-conscious consumer has another option -- vinyl Christmas tree wall banners.  Four New York City-based artists collaborated with Artware Editions for two-dimensional alternatives in both traditional and avant-garde designs, up to six feet high.  All of them are self-adhesive and can be rolled up and reused year after year.

Greg Bocchi, president of The Vinyl Institute, noted, "Once consumers switch to an artificial tree, they rarely go back.  The savings in time, cost, and effort, as well as health and safety concerns, are convincing arguments for using, repackaging and storing an artificial Christmas tree until the next holiday season."

For more information, go to the Christmas Tree Association website; the Christmas Tree for Me website, and this website for Artware Vinyl Christmas Trees.

The Vinyl Institute represents the leading manufacturers involved in the production of PVC vinyl in the United States, and promotes the value of PVC and vinyl products to society. 

For more information, contact:
Jeffrey B. Palmer
Director of Marketing & Communications
The Vinyl Institute
(703) 741-5669
jeff_palmer@plastics.org   

Also go to: www.vinylindesign.com and www.vinylinfo.org.