Sustainability

At Euclid Chemical, we understand the critical impact that Sustainable Design and Green Building can have on our world. We also realize that for us to have an impact as a supplier to the construction industry, we must make it part of our company's culture to provide sustainable building design solutions which achieve social and environmental objectives while providing economic balance. It is, therefore, our mission to develop sustainable solutions that create value for our customers through product/system performance, increased application efficiencies and life-cycle operational savings.

At the core of our business, in order to achieve our vision, we address sustainability through:

By integrating the social, environmental and economic aspects of sustainable/green building, Euclid Chemical will continually strive to foster innovation, environmental protection and sustained growth for our employees, communities, customers, investors, and our industry.

  • Product Innovation - Pioneering product innovation is imperative. We are focused on developing sustainable product technology platforms that provide improved performance and ease of use.

 

  • Product Stewardship - The elimination of components used in products today that may be harmful to human life, our environment or that may drain some of earth's irreplaceable resources is another aspect of our sustainable strategy. Rather than simply responding to regulations being put into place regarding Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Euclid Chemical devotes extensive efforts to the development of products that meet or exceed even the most stringent VOC regulations currently in place and those to be implemented over the next three to five years. This development also focuses on performance, striving for longer life cycles, less maintenance and use of renewable raw materials in place of petroleum-based raw materials.

    Through the implementation of national and local VOC rules, the paint and coatings industry has greatly reduced volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from Architectural and Industrial Maintenance (AIM) products. These regulations have resulted in many products changing to high-solids and water-based formulations, which give off far less VOC emissions than their oil-based counterparts. Concrete construction products such as curing compounds, cure and seals, water repellent sealers, floor coatings, and form release compounds are included in national and local AIM regulations.

    Overall, there are seven VOC regulation development areas in the US and abroad. These various rules and regulations often borrow from and influence each other.

    1. US EPA National AIM Rule: The National Rule went into effect in 1999. It is applicable throughout the United States, but states or locales with more stringent requirements override less stringent provisions of the National Rule.

    2. The EPA is currently considering revisions to the AIM coatings National Rule. It currently plans to borrow heavily from the OTC Model Rule for revised limits. The compliance date for a new National Rule is expected to be in 2010 or 2011.The Northeast Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) AIM Rule: The OTC was established by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 to addresses ground level ozone pollution on a regional basis in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia. In 2001, the OTC states agreed to adopt an AIM coatings rule based on California’s VOC limits. The OTC is now considering revisions to the OTC model based upcoming revisions to the California regulations.

    3. As of August 2007, 11 of the OTC states and Washington DC had adopted or proposed to adopt the OTC Model or some variation of it. The only OTC states who have not proposed rules are Vermont and Rhode Island.The Lake Michigan Air Directors Consortium (LADCO) consists of the four states abutting Lake Michigan (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin) and Ohio. Like the OTC, LADCO was established to address air pollution on a regional basis. At this time, only Ohio has adopted an AIM VOC regulation, which becomes effective on January 1, 2009.

    4. The California Air Resources Board (CARB): California’s state air agency, CARB, has the authority to make suggestions to the 35 individual air quality districts in the state concerning feasible VOC limits for AIM coatings. Having the authority to approve and disapprove the individual Districts’ clean air plans gives CARB’s suggested VOC limits considerable influence, and districts generally follow them except where they believe they need more stringent controls, as is the case for SCAQMD.

    5. South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Rule 1113: The SCAQMD AIM Rule is the most stringent rule in the U.S. and covers Los Angeles and the surrounding air basin. Rule 1113 is generally the model that other jurisdictions consider when writing their own rules

    6. Rule 335 in Maricopa County, Arizona (the Phoenix metropolitan area) is a VOC regulation that is more stringent than the National AIM Rule but less stringent than the OTC rule.

    7. International regulations, including: the European Union Directive on Decorative Coatings, which was passed by the EU Parliament in 2004 and which is now being incorporated into the national laws of the individual EU countries. There is also an AIM VOC rule being developed by the Canadian Ministry of Environment, likely to be modeled after the OTC rule.

     

  • Processes & Practices - Efforts to make our business operations more environmentally responsible are underway throughout the company. This includes minimizing waste and increasing energy efficiency. Education is key internally and externally as we begin to develop a code of conduct across our business that exemplifies the standards we strive to achieve.

    Initiatives have been implemented by the in-house Environmental, Health and Safety group to contribute to the sustainable movement through:

    • Waste Stream Reduction: Move Toward Zero Landfill
    • Recycling Programs: Cardboard, Paper, Metal, Batteries
    • Energy Consumption Reduction
    • Energy Harvesting (Heat) for Other Processes
    • Water Consumption Reduction
    • Print-on-Demand Literature Fulfillment

     

  • Sustainable Design - Sustainable design extends the life our buildings while minimizing their impact on the environment. This strategy focuses on designing for durability utilizing building science and life cycle analysis as its foundation. Building envelope solutions integrating products and systems to ensure longevity is key. Conscientious preservation and restoration are also traditional models of sustainable construction.

    The Business Development Group assists in the promotion of these design features through a concentrated specification effort with Architects, Engineers and Owners.

 

  • Policy Development - In addition to impacting our own culture and those specifying, distributing or using our products, Euclid Chemical devotes efforts to educate regulatory bodies and other organizations so that the impact of sustainable initiatives can be even more substantial and lasting.