Alternatives are hard to find in major chain stores but I have found for example raincoats and umbrellas made from nylon stocked in small independent stores. So go out there and support your local small businesses! PVC-free picnic rugs and lunch bags are the ones that are really hard to find. I hence stock those in my store www.ashnjuls.com.au:
Remember to avoid colour coated metal such as paper clips and binded notebooks - those colour coating often contains PVC.
You can find more info on PVC here: http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/pvc_the_most_toxic_plastic/
