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Going green can save you money
VIEWPOINT
ll
Joe McDermott's
Composites Services CorlJ consults on business developments.
i(
Going green can save you money E n v i r o n m e n t a l issues are now as close to the h e a r t of r u n n i n g a b u s i n e s s as reviewing weekly cash flow a n d selecting the m a t e r i a l s to meet one's best c u s t o m e r ' s specifications. But m u c h of the composites i n d u s t r y has still to e m b r a c e Responsible Care, its several E u r o p e a n equivalents, or some o t h e r form of c o m p r e h e n s i v e proactive e n v i r o n m e n t a l i s m . Responsible Care is the service m a r k for a p r o g r a m m e developed as a m e m b e r s h i p requirem e n t of the US Chemical M a n u f a c t u r e r s Association. The seeds of this b u s i n e s s principle were sown in the mid-1980s by the leadership of the C a n a d i a n Chemical Producers' Association. They are n o w m a n i f e s t in c e r t a i n E u r o p e a n Chemical I n d u s t r y Council activities, a n d have s p r e a d a r o u n d the world by virtue of the i n t e r n a t i o n a l d i m e n s i o n of chemical" i n d u s t r y development, licensing a n d distribution. If you buy or use chemical p r o d u c t s you will s o o n e r or later be affected by Responsible Care. For a m o n g t h e series of codes of p r a c t i c e e m b o d i e d by the p r o g r a m m e is a. r e q u i r e m e n t t h a t a d h e r e n t s exercise stewardship over the d o w n s t r e a m use of t h e i r materials. While the supplier cannot assume the environmental c o m p l i a n c e responsibility of his c u s t o m e r , n o r exercise virtue for him, the s u p p l i e r of the future will n o t service c u s t o m e r s whose h e a l t h a n d safety practices fail to protect personnel, a n d improve the c o m m u n i t y e n v i r o n m e n t . "We c a n ' t say simply 'protect' a n d convey the m e a n i n g of the e n v i r o n m e n t a l m o v e m e n t we ourselves are initiating," one awed works m a n a g e r said a t a r e c e n t i n d u s t r y m e e t i n g i n Washington, DC. "In the new order a m a n u f a c t u r e r will n o t m e a s u r e up unless he or she takes the initiative to m a k e the workshop h e a l t h i e r t h a n home, a n d the c o m m u n i t y 'greener' t h a n he or she found it. This is way beyond m e e t i n g the a u t h o r i t i e s ' m i n i m a l s t a n d a r d s . If one d o e s n ' t g r a s p t h a t , t h e m e s s a g e h a s n ' t really b e e n understood." Today, in a d d i t i o n to m a n u f a c t u r i n g goods of a certain quality at a profit for the benefit of investors a n d workers, a n e n t e r p r i s e m u s t also be j u d g e d on its p r o m o t i o n of e n v i r o n m e n t a l wellbeing. Every day. By the top manager. This is far from the c u r r e n t t h i n k i n g of even the most e n v i r o n m e n t a l l y - a d v a n c e d composites m a n u f a c t u r e r . Some of the b e s t - i n f o r m e d m a n agers in our i n d u s t r y are only now becoming aware of the reach of the Toxic S u b s t a n c e s Control Act (TSCA) a n d E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i t y 7th A m e n d m e n t r e q u i r e m e n t s . (A new surfacer e a c t a n t chemical used as glass fibre sizing m a y be reportable, a n d the p r o d u c t c a n n o t be sold as glass fibre. Recycling p r o g r a m m e s m a y s e p a r a t e heretofore ' c o m p o n e n t ' materials, which now
REINFORCED PLASTICS OCTOBER 1991
become subject to registration. Tracking i m p o r t s to the TSCA inventory is a nightmare. And the p e n a l t i e s are severe). Certain fibreglass fabricators still battle for the availability of acetone as a t o o l - a n d - h a n d cleaner, when m a n y insurers, fire safety a u t h o r ities, a n d in recent years air quality officials have ruled it out in favour of emulsifiers or low-vapour p r e s s u r e solvents. The catalogue of environm e n t a l requirements, broadly-defined, goes on a n d on: o c c u p a t i o n a l exposure to styrene, hazard c o m m u n i c a t i o n s t a n d a r d s , ergonomic tool design. Clean air rules, i n d o o r as well as p l a n t emissions, will d e m a n d heavy e x p e n d i t u r e in this decade. Waste, odour, risk c o m m u n i c a t i o n to the c o m m u n i t y , p o s t - c o n s u m e r recycling even of d u r a b l e goods, e n v i r o n m e n t a l l a b e l l i n g a n d product c o d e s . . . It is a losing effort to t h i n k t h a t one can swim a g a i n s t such a tide wave-by-wave. Indeed, at e n v i r o n m e n t a l a u d i t s e m i n a r s for small businesses one can hear at the end of the day an all-tooserious s e n t i m e n t for leaving the b u s i n e s s in favour of, perhaps, retailing. When t h a t option is n o t realistic, a n e n t r e p r e n e u r has no choice b u t to resort to c u r r e n t s t a n d a r d operating procedure: comply with a specific rule on a n emergency basis w h e n the citation for violation is served. Faced with competitive markets, rising m a t e r i a l s prices, aging e q u i p m e n t , etc., m a n y operating owners a p p e a r to have no choice.
• Sail wi t h the tide There is a b e t t e r way. Get on top of this rising tide a n d sail on it. A change of a t t i t u d e is the first step, b u t t h a t does n o t make it 'soft'. Operators who are forced to r e p l a n t h e i r w a s t e s t r e a m because disposal has become prohibitive, only to find they have both a cost-saving a n d a new p r o d u c t opportunity, are often the first converts to the new order because 'this is b u s i n e s s - it p u t s profit on the books'. T h e r e are few if a n y h e a l t h a n d safety i m p r o v e m e n t s which do n o t have a positive b u s i n e s s effect, on the b o t t o m line or indirectly. One h a n d s - o n glass reinforced plastics m o u l d e r believes the switch to resin transfer m o u l d i n g b r o u g h t h i m m o r e c a p a b l e workers, r a i s i n g quality and productivity, attracting a better class of customer, more help from the local trade school, a n d similar benefits. Previously he a s s u m e d these were m a t t e r s of indifference to his b a n k manager. Now he believes differently. When called on to recite t h a t 'composites are the design m a t e r i a l of choice for the 21st century', he can state it with more conviction.
Joe McDermottm
ll
Joe McDermott's
Composites Services CorlJ consults on business developments.
i(
Going green can save you money E n v i r o n m e n t a l issues are now as close to the h e a r t of r u n n i n g a b u s i n e s s as reviewing weekly cash flow a n d selecting the m a t e r i a l s to meet one's best c u s t o m e r ' s specifications. But m u c h of the composites i n d u s t r y has still to e m b r a c e Responsible Care, its several E u r o p e a n equivalents, or some o t h e r form of c o m p r e h e n s i v e proactive e n v i r o n m e n t a l i s m . Responsible Care is the service m a r k for a p r o g r a m m e developed as a m e m b e r s h i p requirem e n t of the US Chemical M a n u f a c t u r e r s Association. The seeds of this b u s i n e s s principle were sown in the mid-1980s by the leadership of the C a n a d i a n Chemical Producers' Association. They are n o w m a n i f e s t in c e r t a i n E u r o p e a n Chemical I n d u s t r y Council activities, a n d have s p r e a d a r o u n d the world by virtue of the i n t e r n a t i o n a l d i m e n s i o n of chemical" i n d u s t r y development, licensing a n d distribution. If you buy or use chemical p r o d u c t s you will s o o n e r or later be affected by Responsible Care. For a m o n g t h e series of codes of p r a c t i c e e m b o d i e d by the p r o g r a m m e is a. r e q u i r e m e n t t h a t a d h e r e n t s exercise stewardship over the d o w n s t r e a m use of t h e i r materials. While the supplier cannot assume the environmental c o m p l i a n c e responsibility of his c u s t o m e r , n o r exercise virtue for him, the s u p p l i e r of the future will n o t service c u s t o m e r s whose h e a l t h a n d safety practices fail to protect personnel, a n d improve the c o m m u n i t y e n v i r o n m e n t . "We c a n ' t say simply 'protect' a n d convey the m e a n i n g of the e n v i r o n m e n t a l m o v e m e n t we ourselves are initiating," one awed works m a n a g e r said a t a r e c e n t i n d u s t r y m e e t i n g i n Washington, DC. "In the new order a m a n u f a c t u r e r will n o t m e a s u r e up unless he or she takes the initiative to m a k e the workshop h e a l t h i e r t h a n home, a n d the c o m m u n i t y 'greener' t h a n he or she found it. This is way beyond m e e t i n g the a u t h o r i t i e s ' m i n i m a l s t a n d a r d s . If one d o e s n ' t g r a s p t h a t , t h e m e s s a g e h a s n ' t really b e e n understood." Today, in a d d i t i o n to m a n u f a c t u r i n g goods of a certain quality at a profit for the benefit of investors a n d workers, a n e n t e r p r i s e m u s t also be j u d g e d on its p r o m o t i o n of e n v i r o n m e n t a l wellbeing. Every day. By the top manager. This is far from the c u r r e n t t h i n k i n g of even the most e n v i r o n m e n t a l l y - a d v a n c e d composites m a n u f a c t u r e r . Some of the b e s t - i n f o r m e d m a n agers in our i n d u s t r y are only now becoming aware of the reach of the Toxic S u b s t a n c e s Control Act (TSCA) a n d E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i t y 7th A m e n d m e n t r e q u i r e m e n t s . (A new surfacer e a c t a n t chemical used as glass fibre sizing m a y be reportable, a n d the p r o d u c t c a n n o t be sold as glass fibre. Recycling p r o g r a m m e s m a y s e p a r a t e heretofore ' c o m p o n e n t ' materials, which now
REINFORCED PLASTICS OCTOBER 1991
become subject to registration. Tracking i m p o r t s to the TSCA inventory is a nightmare. And the p e n a l t i e s are severe). Certain fibreglass fabricators still battle for the availability of acetone as a t o o l - a n d - h a n d cleaner, when m a n y insurers, fire safety a u t h o r ities, a n d in recent years air quality officials have ruled it out in favour of emulsifiers or low-vapour p r e s s u r e solvents. The catalogue of environm e n t a l requirements, broadly-defined, goes on a n d on: o c c u p a t i o n a l exposure to styrene, hazard c o m m u n i c a t i o n s t a n d a r d s , ergonomic tool design. Clean air rules, i n d o o r as well as p l a n t emissions, will d e m a n d heavy e x p e n d i t u r e in this decade. Waste, odour, risk c o m m u n i c a t i o n to the c o m m u n i t y , p o s t - c o n s u m e r recycling even of d u r a b l e goods, e n v i r o n m e n t a l l a b e l l i n g a n d product c o d e s . . . It is a losing effort to t h i n k t h a t one can swim a g a i n s t such a tide wave-by-wave. Indeed, at e n v i r o n m e n t a l a u d i t s e m i n a r s for small businesses one can hear at the end of the day an all-tooserious s e n t i m e n t for leaving the b u s i n e s s in favour of, perhaps, retailing. When t h a t option is n o t realistic, a n e n t r e p r e n e u r has no choice b u t to resort to c u r r e n t s t a n d a r d operating procedure: comply with a specific rule on a n emergency basis w h e n the citation for violation is served. Faced with competitive markets, rising m a t e r i a l s prices, aging e q u i p m e n t , etc., m a n y operating owners a p p e a r to have no choice.
• Sail wi t h the tide There is a b e t t e r way. Get on top of this rising tide a n d sail on it. A change of a t t i t u d e is the first step, b u t t h a t does n o t make it 'soft'. Operators who are forced to r e p l a n t h e i r w a s t e s t r e a m because disposal has become prohibitive, only to find they have both a cost-saving a n d a new p r o d u c t opportunity, are often the first converts to the new order because 'this is b u s i n e s s - it p u t s profit on the books'. T h e r e are few if a n y h e a l t h a n d safety i m p r o v e m e n t s which do n o t have a positive b u s i n e s s effect, on the b o t t o m line or indirectly. One h a n d s - o n glass reinforced plastics m o u l d e r believes the switch to resin transfer m o u l d i n g b r o u g h t h i m m o r e c a p a b l e workers, r a i s i n g quality and productivity, attracting a better class of customer, more help from the local trade school, a n d similar benefits. Previously he a s s u m e d these were m a t t e r s of indifference to his b a n k manager. Now he believes differently. When called on to recite t h a t 'composites are the design m a t e r i a l of choice for the 21st century', he can state it with more conviction.
Joe McDermottm