Recently in Product ingredients Category

Paper has a long history of "grass" based feedstock -- think papyrus and even cotton!  Maybe it's time to rethink trees as the best natural resource for papermaking.  The chemicals used to convert wood into pulp requires enormous quantities of very caustic, very toxic chemicals. Green chemistry could be a way of exploring other fibers that require less chemicals and less toxic chemicals for the papermaking process.    

Canopy has launched an online survey to gather information that will help assess market interest in North America for papers made with agricultural residues.

Agricultural Residues such as Wheat Straw

"This study is the first of its kind in North America. Up until now, information about the market viability of non-wood paper has been anecdotal," says Neva Murtha, Second Harvest Campaigner with Canopy. "When done, we'll be able to translate demands for eco-paper into initiatives that help make straw papers a North American reality."

Straw Based Papers

Last year's successful trial of the Wheat Sheet issue of Canadian Geographic showed that non-wood papers pass the technical and quality requirements of the North American market. Also apparent during last year's trial was a significant level of interest by large paper consumers in agricultural residue paper alternatives such as the Wheat Sheet. With environmental concern on the rise, so is support for innovative business solutions that alleviate the stress on intact and endangered forests and the climate. Diversifying North America's paper fibre basket to include agricultural residues rather than carbon and species rich forests is one such solution that could also help ensure a secure supply of fibre for domestic producers.

Environmental Paper

This study is designed to help Canopy identify new and emerging opportunities for environmental paper. The survey will provide further information about what level of support exists for non-wood paper development in North America - a key element in new pulping capacity being developed in the US and Canada.

All survey input shall remain confidential and only used in aggregate numbers, unless otherwise approved by participating companies. Data collection will be targeted primarily at large paper consumers, such as publishers, printers, office retailers, and will capture data such as demand tonnage, priority grades, and how participants would like to engage in further stages of non-wood paper development.

To complete the survey about agricultural residue paper


For more information:
Canopy's work to build a market for agricultural residue papers, please visit their website.
For more information on the Wheat Sheet
CONTACT:
Neva Murtha, Second Harvest Campaigner
604-817-4974 | neva@canopyplanet.org 

Paper has a long history of "grass" based feedstock -- think papyrus and even cotton!  Maybe it's time to rethink trees as the best natural resource for papermaking.  The chemicals used to convert wood into pulp requires enormous quantities of very caustic, very toxic chemicals. Green chemistry could be a way of exploring other fibers that require less chemicals and less toxic chemicals for the papermaking process.    

Canopy has launched an online survey to gather information that will help assess market interest in North America for papers made with agricultural residues.

Agricultural Residues such as Wheat Straw

"This study is the first of its kind in North America. Up until now, information about the market viability of non-wood paper has been anecdotal," says Neva Murtha, Second Harvest Campaigner with Canopy. "When done, we'll be able to translate demands for eco-paper into initiatives that help make straw papers a North American reality."

Straw Based Papers

Last year's successful trial of the Wheat Sheet issue of Canadian Geographic showed that non-wood papers pass the technical and quality requirements of the North American market. Also apparent during last year's trial was a significant level of interest by large paper consumers in agricultural residue paper alternatives such as the Wheat Sheet. With environmental concern on the rise, so is support for innovative business solutions that alleviate the stress on intact and endangered forests and the climate. Diversifying North America's paper fibre basket to include agricultural residues rather than carbon and species rich forests is one such solution that could also help ensure a secure supply of fibre for domestic producers.

Environmental Paper

This study is designed to help Canopy identify new and emerging opportunities for environmental paper. The survey will provide further information about what level of support exists for non-wood paper development in North America - a key element in new pulping capacity being developed in the US and Canada.

All survey input shall remain confidential and only used in aggregate numbers, unless otherwise approved by participating companies. Data collection will be targeted primarily at large paper consumers, such as publishers, printers, office retailers, and will capture data such as demand tonnage, priority grades, and how participants would like to engage in further stages of non-wood paper development.

To complete the survey about agricultural residue paper


For more information:
Canopy's work to build a market for agricultural residue papers, please visit their website.
For more information on the Wheat Sheet
CONTACT:
Neva Murtha, Second Harvest Campaigner
604-817-4974 | neva@canopyplanet.org 

Chemical safety affects us all.  But how do laws support chemical safety?

Out of more than 62,000 synthetic chemicals that are part of our everyday lives, fewer than 200 have been tested for safety.

The Chemical Industry and Safety Best Practices

Thanks to effective lobbying by the chemical industry, laws are written so that every synthetic chemical is "innocent until proven guilty." The legal burden weighs on those seeking to prove the harm a substance can cause.

Find out more in "Toxic Ignorance is Not Bliss," by author and writer Dominique Browning.

Human Guinea Pigs

Browning reveals the shocking truth when it comes to potentially toxic chemicals -- you're basically on your own.

"We should be worried about what amounts to a huge, uncontrolled human testing experiment. Without agreeing to it, without understanding it, without even knowing it, we have become the chemical industry's guinea pigs."

Of highly visible concers of late is Bisphenol A (BPA), found in baby bottles, possibly the water bottle sitting by your desk and plastic dental sealants.

BPA is increasingly suspected of causing a variety of serious ills, yet factories continue to produce six billion pounds of it each year.

In the coming months, Congress may review the process by which we regulate toxic chemicals -- or, as Browning points out, mostly don't regulate them.

"Society needs to pay much more attention to this problem," says Dr. Richard Denison, Senior Scientist at EDF. "We've been complacent about it." Denison maintains an influential blog tracking the debate over chemical safety.

In 1976 Congress passed the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

Unfortunately, the 62,000 chemicals on the market at that time were given a free pass: no requirement they be tested or assessed for safety.

EPA's Role in Chemical Regulation

Although the Environmental Protection Agency has garnered some information about chemicals through voluntary submissions by industry in a program that EDF helped start, limited testing has been required on a mere 200 chemicals over the past three decades.

Worse, EPA has managed to restrict only five substances--and even that overstates the agency's efficacy.

The only group of chemicals entirely banned was PCBs, because Congress required it.

Even Cal Dooley, the president of the American Chemistry Council, commented on EPA's incapacity in this matter: "EPA cannot make a determination on whether or not a chemical is safe for its intended use."

Read more at: "Toxic Ignorance is Not Bliss,"

Chemical ingredients are casually accepted by consumers because the terminology and the science are so complex that even scientists argue over the impact on people and the environment.   But it is important for citizens -- parents, loved ones, and merchants who care about their customers -- to learn as much as possible about key ingredients.   That's what the green movement is about -- and that is what social justice is about.  Pollutants can be recognized and removed from our homes and work environments.

Here is a basic overview of one set of known problem chemicals:  organic bromine and chlorine.  Better known as substances in PVC pipe, electronics and other common product materials.

This overview of organic bromine and chlorine is quoted from a report by the International Chemical Secrtariat (www.chemsec.org) and Clean Production Action (www.cleanproduction.org)

Organic bromine and chlorine

Compounds that contain organic bromine and chlorine tend to be particularly likely to bioaccumulate, be persistent and/or toxic - or to degrade in the environment into new brominated or chlorinated organic compounds with these characteristics.

As they accumulate over time, these organo-halogen compounds can become widespread pollutants in air, water, soil, and sediment, where they are increasingly ingested by humans and animals. It is also important to note that inorganic forms of these chemicals can lead to the formation of dioxin and other problematic chemicals, particularly when they are mixed with organic matter.

Chlorinated dioxins and furans can cause severe health problems, including:

• Cancer
• Endocrine disruption
• Endometriosis
• Neurological damage
• Birth defects and impaired child development
• Reproductive system damage
• Immune system damage

Because dioxins and furans break down slowly, they endure in the environment for long periods of time.18,19 Like many organohalogens, they bioaccumulate in animals' fatty tissue. The highest concentrations are found in animals at the top of the food chain, including humans. Linda Birnbaum, a leading science expert on BFR s and dioxins, led the US EPA's 1994 dioxin assessment process, which concluded that for certain dioxins there was no safe level of exposure for humans.

Most of what we know about dioxins and furans is the result of the study of one particular dioxin: tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCD ), which is a developmental toxicant that causes skeletal deformities, kidney defects, and weakened immune responses in the offspring of animals exposed to it during pregnancy. The compound is also associated with some cancers and other health effects, including immune system alterations and skin lesions. Additionally, studies indicate many of the hundreds of other dioxins and furans are likely to cause similar health effects.

Dioxin precursors

Of particular concern is the ability of halogenated organics to act as precursors for generating dioxin, a potent known human carcinogen4 that is toxic at very low levels. Exposing halogenated organics such as the BFR s, CFR s, and PVC in electronics to incineration at insufficiently high temperatures or the uncontrolled burning practices commonly used in informal recycling in the developing world can generate dioxins, as well as furans, which can be equally toxic.

Chlorine Use in PVC

The predominant use of chlorine in electronics has been in PVC plastics. Most internal and external cables use PVC to insulate copper wires. Human health and environmental concerns about exposure to plastic additives used in PVC, such as lead, cadmium, and phthalates, as well as dioxin formation during the combustion of PVC components, triggered industry-wide efforts to replace PVC use in wire and cables. The major challenge has been developing alternative resins, that meet safety standards that in some instances were only written to specify PVC resins. To further complicate the situation, these safety standards vary geographically, forcing companies to use and get approval for multiple alternatives that comply with the different regional standards.

Bromine- and chlorine- based compounds are used extensively in the production of today's modern electronic products as flame retardants, solvents, dyes, adhesives and plastic resins.

The highest concentrations of bromine and chlorine are used in brominated and chlorinated flame retardants (BFR s and CFR s) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

However, in response to growing awareness of the human health and environmental problems associated with the use of bromine and chorine, leading manufacturers have started to restrict the use of these chemicals. These manufacturers have also come to recognize that the wide variety of halogenated compounds used in the electronics supply chain makes it very difficult to certify that specific brominated or chlorinated compounds have successfully been removed from electronics products.

Accordingly, some manufacturers have chosen to restrict the use of all substances containing these two elements, rather than contend with the difficulties involved in implementing and validating restrictions on specific, individual brominated and chlorinated substances. The method of focusing on chemicals on the group level rather than on individual compounds has come to be known as the elemental approach.

The Association Connecting Electronics Industries (IPC) is currently in the process of developing another standard for all plastic resins. The current proposal (September 2009) applies the elemental standard to a subset of brominated and chlorinated compounds, namely BFR s, CFR s, PVC, and PVC congeners in plastic resins. This approach, however, is more difficult to verify through testing and some companies are calling for a more verifiable approach that would apply restrictions on all uses of bromine and chlorine.

Greening Consumer Electronics:
Moving Away from Bromine and Chlorine

Two leading environmental organizations, Clean Production Action and ChemSec, have released a new report showing companies that are leading the electronics industry by moving away from chemicals that can lead to health and environmental problems. features seven companies who have engineered environmental solutions that negate the need for most -- or in some cases all -- uses of brominated and chlorinated chemicals. This includes eliminating brominated flame retardants and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which can create dioxin, a human carcinogen, during the burning of e-waste. 

The best time to clean up "brownfields" that are dead because of toxic pollutants -- is not not use toxic chemicals or processes in the first place.  But how?  It's not easy to green manufacturing, especially high performance gadgets at low prices.  But it is possible.

ALSO NEEDED, consumer support :  Need to know how to recycle your electronics (TVs, computers, phones) safely?  Try Electronics Takeback Coalition.

Design firm Perkins+Will Introduces Precautionary List Examining Chemicals and Building Materials

"There is an ever increasing focus in the green building movement on the relationship between humans and the built environment," notes Peter Syrett, AIA, LEED AP™ of Perkins+Will and one of the creators of the Precautionary List. "There are thousands of chemicals used in a building and only a small percentage have been tested. We created the Precautionary List to advocate for alternative building products and advocate care when using products that have identified chemical hazards."

One example from the list is mercury, a known neurotoxin that can be found in HVAC controls, lamps, resilient floors and thermostats. The precautionary list showcases mechanical controls without mercury systems, different flooring systems, mercury-free lamp alternatives and encourages builders to pursue, advocate and specify for these alternatives when reasonable.

The entire Perkins+Will Precautionary List is online at http://transparency.perkinswill.com/

EPA maintains an extensive database of Design for the Environment approved products.  These listings can be checked by consumers or business procurement buyers for products recognized under the DfE Formulator Program. DfE commends these companies for their leadership in designing products that are good for their business and for the environment.

Partners and Recognized Products

• Cleaning Products
  • Consumer Cleaning Products
    • Cleaners
    • Floor Care
    
    
    • Laundry Detergents
  • Industrial/Institutional Cleaning Products
    • Cleaners
    • Floor Care
    • Laundry Detergents
    • Automatic Dishwasher Detergents
    • Graffiti Removers
    • Marine Cleaning Products
    • Car Care
    • Aircraft Cleaning Products
    • Industrial Vehicle Cleaning Products
• Biological-based Products
  • Bioremediator
  • Drain Maintainer
  • Grease Trap / Lift Station Maintainer
  • Holding Tank Treatment/Deodorizer
  • Septic System Treatment
  • Vehicle/Parts Wash Additive
  • Wastewater Innoculant
  • Bilge Maintainer
• Deicers
• Field Paint
• Industrial Coatings
  • Conversion Coatings
  • Pavement Treatment
• Inks
  • Inkjet Printing
• Odor Removal
• Field Paint
• Tire Additives
• Soluble Films

See the EPA Web page for updated links.

Through manufacture and use, virtually everyone comes in contact with the chemicals in these products, which are ultimately released to the environment--as effluents to water, off-gases to air, and solid wastes to land. By forming partnerships with the DfE Program, formulators can take part in an important national effort to improve the human health and environmental profile of chemical-based products, which will benefit the quality of aquatic life and the environment, the biodegradability of waste streams, and human health and safety. The basis for a DfE partnership rests on the selection of the safest possible ingredients that permit the formulation of high-performing, cost-effective products. DfE can provide formulators with information on chemical characteristics and toxicities of raw materials and additives, safer substitutes for chemicals of concern, and innovative new chemistries. The DfE document "Criteria for Safer Cleaning Products (CSCP) in the form of a Standard" (PDF) (28 pp, 157K) describes the program's unique approach to product review and formulation improvement. To view this criteria in matrix form, please click here [considerations for partnership (PDF) (12 pp, 161K)]. DfE Formulator partners enjoy Agency recognition, including the use of the DfE label on products with improved formulations.

Look for the DfE Label! Safer Products DfE-recognized products are safer for people and the planet and have eliminated more than 270 million pounds of chemicals of concern.   中文版

The redesign of chemical products offers important opportunities to:

• Remove polluting chemicals from formulations before they can enter the workplace, home, or environment.
• Advance energy and water efficiency, resource conservation, and innovative technologies.
• Qualify for environmentally preferred product status, increasingly sought by government, retailer and consumer purchasers.

For more information, contact DfE.

Each year, formulators blend billions of pounds of chemical ingredients to create a wide variety of products used by businesses, institutions, households, and others. Through manufacture and use, virtually everyone comes in contact with the chemicals in these products, which are ultimately released to the environment--as effluents to water, off-gases to air, and solid wastes to land.

By forming partnerships with the DfE Program, formulators can take part in an important national effort to improve the human health and environmental profile of chemical-based products, which will benefit the quality of aquatic life and the environment, the biodegradability of waste streams, and human health and safety.

NSF INTERNATIONAL, Third Party Reviews for DfE Formulator Program

NSF International  has partnered with the U.S. EPA's Design for the Environment program ("DfE") to perform third-party reviews for the DfE Formulator Program.

NSF International has been selected to prepare product ingredient profiles for partnership candidates. NSF reviews cleaning product formulations for its environmental and human health profiles using criteria developed by DfE. Once successfully reviewed, formulators may be recognized by DfE and use the DfE logo on their products.

DfE offers recognition to formulators who design products for the environment and human health by using safer chemicals.

SOURCE: NSF

CleanGredients® Data Verification

NSF International is pleased to announce it has partnered with the GreenBlue Institute and CleanGredients® to perform third-party reviews of surfactant ingredients. Once successfully reviewed, surfactants may be listed on the CleanGredients website, the industry resource for formulators.

NSF reviews ingredient formulations for aquatic toxicity and biodegradability using criteria defined by the U.S. EPA DfE (Design for the Environment) Program, which designates surfactants with especially positive environmental characteristics.

CleanGredients.org is an online database of institutional and industrial (I&I) cleaning ingredients that:

• Helps formulators identify ingredients that have potential environmental and/or human health and safety benefits.
• Provides an opportunity for manufacturers and producers of cleaning ingredients to showcase their ingredients with potential environmental and/or human health and safety benefits.

SOURCE:  NSF International