Nature
Microsoft, Other Major Companies to Complete Phase-Out of PVC Plastic
Microsoft, along with Kaiser Permanente, Crabtree and Evelyn, and others, have joined the fast-growing ranks of major corporations demonstrating concern about the environmental health impacts of their products or packaging by phasing out PVC plastic (polyvinyl chloride or vinyl). Read More
Mazda, Nippon Paint Develop Eco-Friendly Coating Process
An electro-deposition basecoat known as e-coating that substantially reduces both volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions has been developed by Mazda Motor Corp., a major Japanese automaker. Read More
Japanese Automakers to Voluntarily Regulate Volatile Chemicals in Cars
The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association has announced that it will take voluntary steps to reduce concentrations of volatile organic compounds inside vehicles. Read More
2003 Toxics Release Inventory Shows Continued Decline in Chemical Releases
The new inventory shows that the amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment by reporting facilities continues to decline, with total reductions of 42% since 1998 and a 6% decrease from 2002 to 2003. Read More
Eco-Friendly Ship Bottom Paint Developed
Researchers of the Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan have succeeded in developing an organotin-free substance for ship paint that does not leach out any organometallic compounds into the surrounding seawater. Read More
Duraflame Unveils New Firelog Made with 100% Renewable Resources
Faced with a shrinking supply of petroleum wax and a rise in woodburning fireplace restrictions by air quality districts in the American West, Duraflame's product development team set out this past year to determine how to make the next generation of manufactured firelogs. Read More
Old Mobile Phones Called Toxic Waste
Two independent studies funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the State of California respectively, reveal that obsolete or non-working mobile phones qualify as hazardous waste even with their batteries removed. Read More
Closed-Loop Nylon Recycling Captures Award for Dupont
DuPont Composite Recycle Technology has received the 2004 environmental award for New Technology in Materials and Processes from the Environmental Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers for its closed-loop nylon recycling process. Read More
Colorado and Coors Build Test Wetland for Wastewater Treatment
The Colorado Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, and Coors Brewing Company have completed construction of a test wetland at the Coors Brewery in the town of Golden. Read More
Fairchild Semiconductor to Switch to Lead-Free Finish Packages
Fairchild Semiconductor has initiated conversion of all its products to lead-free finish packages. Read More