February 24, 2011
Ever wonder what those eco-labels or environmental certifications on purchases actually mean? BASF Corp. has created a tool the company calls the SELECT (Sustainability, Eco-labeling and Environmental Certification Tracking) Eco-Label manager. The tool is a BASF created database that helps a user to search, analyze and compare “eco-labels, environmental claims, directories and rating systems,” states the company.
The database includes 100 programs to review that range from North American programs like Built Green Canada, a residential construction checklist and energy rating system, and Green Guides, a Federal Trade Commission program that helps manufacturers make substantiated claims.
“The demand for environmentally preferable products is rapidly evolving, influencing purchasing decisions along entire supply chains,” according to Pat Meyer, senior product steward and program leader at BASF. “These purchasing requirements have spawned hundreds of eco-labels and programs from the federal government, large retailers, trade associations and third-party organizations, leading to a lot of confusion.” The tool, from Meyer’s perspective, will help businesses sift through labels and understand the classifications. The tool is currently only available to BASF employees, preferred BASF customers, and stakeholders.
The largest chemical company in the world should have a BASF made product, Ecoflex, to test any eco-based label accompanying the product. The company has expanded production capacity at its Ludwigshafen, Germany, plant that produces the biodegradable plastic, Ecoflex, from 14,000 metric tons per year to 74,000 metric tons. The product has the same qualities of conventional polyurethane, and under industrial composting conditions, the product remains fully biodegradable. A derivative of Ecoflex is a product BASF calls Ecovio, which is used for shopping bags, organic waste bags, mulch films and food packaging. Ecovio FS Paper is another product made at the expanded facility that is mainly used as a biodegradable waterproof coating on the inside of paper cups and cardboard containers.
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“We are already successful in the market with our biodegradable polyester Ecoflex,” said Wolfgang Hapke, president of BASF’s performance polymers division. “The capacity expansion will also enable us to respond even more effectively to our customers’ wishes.” BASF believes that the market for biobased and biodegradable plastics is growing by roughly 20 percent per year.
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