Environment Canada Updates Environmental Leadership Criteria for Using EcoLogo on Thermal Insulation Materials
April 14 2005 - 4:53PM
PR Newswire (US)
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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