Nowadays, the quality of an artificial Christmas tree is dictated by what materials are used. Their main draw is how closely they can match real Christmas trees in appearance. If you ever wondered what’s in an artificial tree that achieves this effect, you’re about to find out! This has largely to do with the difference between a PVC tree and a PE tree.

It’s no secret that an artificial Christmas tree is composed of plastic. What most don’t know is that there are two types of plastic involved in the construction of an artificial tree, namely polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE). These two components make up the bulk of an artificial tree and dictate how closely it can resemble a real one.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

Known as the third most widely-used plastic, polyvinyl chloride was used as the main constituent of most Christmas trees. It became popular due to its durability and ease of manufacture, as well as lower overall costs. To make a PVC tree, this plastic was produced in vast sheet-like quantities, colored, compressed and cut into variegated pine needles. The newly-formed were then attached to the main body of each artificial Christmas tree.

Before this process was initiated, PVC was already being used in a wide variety of products from clothing and upholstery to plastic tubing and roofing membranes. Though more popular than its successor, polyethylene (PE), the quality of pine needles achieved were a far cry from those on real trees. In addition, some of the chemicals used to soften the plastic sometimes had hazardous health effects. Environmentally, PVC is very easy to recycle. Most products composed of this rigid material are left in good quality enabling them for future use.

Polyethylene (PE)

Primarily used in packaging, polyethylene is now hailed as an alternative way of crafting an artificial Christmas tree. Due to its malleability, the main draw of this component is its ability to very closely mimic the branches and pine needles of a real tree. This composition works by way of a molding system with the chemical plastic injected into a pre-prepared mold. The result is a 3D effect unlike the flatness achieved by a PVC tree.

The main drawback of this PE trees is that PE is non-biodegradable and can pose a serious environmental hazard. However work underway to create a bacteria that is capable of degrading at least 40% of PE-made products. At times, PE needles are combined with PVC to create a fuller, more lush and realistic effect for artificial Christmas trees.

When it comes to choosing an artificial Christmas tree, it is vital to consider what materials have gone into its construction. However this is not to say that one wins out over the other. More often than not, Christmas trees made out of both PVC and PE achieve an effect that outdoes those composed of a sole constituent.