Green Chemistry: Hotspots of Innovation 2

November 19, 2013

More Green Chemistry Innovators

New green chemistry-based processes also get down to the nitty-gritty of sustainable chemical processes—minimizing use of toxic chemicals and preventing pollution from happening at all.

 

Reduce the use of hazardous chemicals: Nike   Since 2001, Nike has integrated sustainability goals into the design and manufacture of its famous footwear.   Specifically, the company uses a restricted substance list to reduce use of toxic materials used in its products and manufacturing process.

Since 1995, Nike has produced a more environmentally friendly rubber for its footwear. This new rubber is created with benign accelerators, vegetable oils, and modified processing chemicals and methods. The newly designed process:

	Uses water-based rather than solvent-based chemistry.
	Reduces hazardous waste generated per pair of shoes by more than one-third compared to 2005 levels
	Reduces total zinc content in its rubber by 80 percent and leachable zinc content by more than 90 percent
	Reduces hazardous-waste generation in all NIKE Brand footwear through materials substitution, operational improvements and process modification

In FY2011, NIKE Brand footwear designs used environmentally preferred rubber in 80 percent of shoe pairs, up from 3 percent in 2004. For more information on NIke's sustainability programs....

 

---

 

Develop safer inputs: Columbia Forest Products For decades, the U.S. timber industry has used urea formaldehyde-based adhesives to make decorative hardwood plywood. Columbia Forest Products partnered with Dr. Kaichang Li at Oregon State University to develop a stronger, safer adhesive.   The resulting adhesive was stronger, resistant to moisture–an advantage over urea formaldehyde adhesives–and completely environmentally benign, even compostable.

Equally important, their manufacturing process:

	Reduced mill emissions by up to 95 percent.
	Avoided $2.5 million in equipment upgrade costs
	Kept products cost-competitive by using a cost-effective proces

 

Columbia Forest Product's investment in green chemistry reduced pollution emissions and costs. It solidified their market position as a leader in thier industry and earned them accolades for innovation and environmental consciousness. Read more

 

Next time, more businesses which showcase the positive effects of green chemistry in preventing pollution, bolstering business profits and benefitting people.

 

---

 

The future can be cleaner.

At GlyEco, we believe providing information about chemistry-based pollution solutions is good for both the environment and your mind. Our team is dedicated to creating a future with less dirty glycol going to waste. It's a big job... and we are up to the challenge. Using our breakthrough technology, we clean all types of waste glycol, help safeguard the environment and create valuable green products.