Environment Canada Updates Environmental Leadership Criteria for Using EcoLogo on Thermal Insulation Materials Formaldehyde-free Fiber Glass Insulation Endorsed; Insulation Manufacturer Johns Manville Applauds More Stringent Requirements DENVER, April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Following an extensive scientific review, Environment Canada's Environmental Choice Program (ECP), a leading benchmark of environmentally responsible products and services, recently updated environmental leadership criteria for use of the EcoLogo on thermal insulation materials. The EcoLogo is the ECP's official symbol of environmental excellence. TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, the company that manages the EcoLogo for Environment Canada, recently announced that, for light-density building insulation, the EcoLogo will only be available to those made with formaldehyde-free binders. TerraChoice and Environment Canada cited the following reasons for the more stringent requirements for use of the EcoLogo on insulation materials: * Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen emitted during manufacturing and in the final product of fiber glass and mineral wool. * An alternative that is not carcinogenic and less toxic upon ingestion and inhalation is currently available and in use for batts and blankets. * There is a meaningful difference between the risks associated with emissions from the production and use of ordinary formaldehyde-bonded insulation and emissions from the production and use of formaldehyde- free insulation. Johns Manville (JM), the first and only manufacturer to offer a complete line of formaldehyde-free fiber glass building insulation, applauds Environment Canada's efforts to move the insulation market toward greater environmental responsibility. "In 2001, JM made the important decision to create a product that both addresses the health concerns of building occupants and employees, and is smarter for the environment. We converted our complete line of building insulation to formaldehyde-free and we remain the only manufacturer to have done so," said Tim Carey, manager of product stewardship for JM. "We knew then it was a smart thing to do for our employees, customers and the environment, and the Environmental Choice Program's official decision reaffirms our conviction that no formaldehyde is better than some." Previously, the EcoLogo requirements focused simply on recycled content. With an increased emphasis on demonstrated environmental leadership throughout the product's lifecycle, the requirements have been expanded to also include technological and environmental advances in the materials used to produce insulation. "In the fiber glass and mineral wool batts markets, more than 70 percent of the Canadian market now has the EcoLogo," said Scott McDougall, president and CEO of TerraChoice. "While this is good news in respect of the improved performance of the industry over the years, our review has confirmed that there is a need to tighten up requirements for these specific materials to better reflect real environmental leadership." The decision on Canadian EcoLogo adds further momentum to the now widespread preference for formaldehyde-free building materials and follows the endorsement of formaldehyde-free materials made by the California Environmental Protection Agency's Air Resources Board (CARB) and several state green building organizations. Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company (NYSE:BRK.ANYSE:BRK.B), is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building and specialty products. In business since 1858, the Denver-based company has annual sales in excess of $2 billion and holds leadership positions in all of the key markets that it serves. Johns Manville employs about 8,500 people and operates 43 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China. Additional information can be found at http://www.jm.com/ . DATASOURCE: Johns Manville CONTACT: Scott DeShetler of Johns Manville, +1-303-978-3111, or ; or Cory Ziskind of Linhart McClain Finlon, +1-303-383-4604, or Web site: http://www.jm.com/

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