Xerox Corporation: Asset Recycle Management
Presenter: Jack Azar
Xerox's goal is "waste-free products manufactured in waste-free factories," said Jack Azar. Achieving this goal will result in environmental benefits, satisfied customers, improved productivity, and increased global competitiveness. Xerox has developed a
number of projects under its Environmental Leadership program, including an asset management program for equipment and parts, a toner cartridge program, and a packaging program. Each represents a different way that the EPR concept can be implemented.
The business factors driving Xerox's Environmental Leadership program, which began in 1993, include the solid waste problem and high landfill costs, the need to utilize natural resources, the proposed European take-back regulations, customer requirements
, and Xerox's competitive advantage. In the past, a recycling strategy was not part of Xerox's business process when products were built, they were always new. No process was in place to handle remanufactured products, nor was there any design continuity
that anticipated the need to deal with them. Now, the eventual recycling of products is incorporated into the design phase. When equipment comes back, Xerox tries to find a new market for the product or strips it down in a manufacturing facility, then rep
airs parts and rebuilds the product. If a product cannot be rebuilt, parts are salvaged and materials recycled. When possible, product modules or components are converted into other products. The company's goal is to send nothing to the landfill.
For example, Xerox examined possibilities for recycling its toner cartridges, which can last for 6 months or more. In early versions of cartridges, frames were welded together with no plans for remanufacture or reuse. Then Xerox found a way to make cartr
idge recycling economically feasible. The company offered customers incentives to return the cartridges and now has up to 60 percent recovery. In fact, the company loses money if the equipment is not returned for remanufacture. Xerox also developed an EPR
program for its empty toner bottles, which were formerly thrown away. Xerox reduces the raw material in the bottles and manufactures them with postconsumer polyethylene (PET). Xerox also began reusing the bottles.
Factors enabling EPR within the corporation include senior management support, market research, the elevation of environmental considerations among the corporation's goals, and the establishment of a new business process by working with designers, engine
ers, and suppliers. Infrastructure development is a particularly important issue. Xerox needs to locate cost-effective regional recyclers and establish an effective return system.
Mr. Azar then responded to a question about whether Xerox's competitors have implemented similar programs. These EPR programs have given Xerox a competitive advantage over foreign manufacturers exporting to the United States, Mr. Azar said, many of which
are starting to set up similar systems locally to be competitive.
When asked how Xerox overcame customer resistance to remanufactured products, Mr. Azar stressed that Xerox views consumer education as key. The company communicates the message that its remanufactured products are made with the same workmanship and quali
ty as new products. Customers are more comfortable with recycled products, however, than with rebuilt or remanufactured products.
Georgia-Pacific Corporation: Recycled Urban Wood
Presenter: David Kurtz
Georgia-Pacific manufactures particleboard from multispecies wood recovered from commercial disposal or general urban solid waste, began David Kurtz. The company has agreements with five recycling and processing companies that accept or collect wood at v
arious sites. The wood is cleaned of contaminants and sent to a Georgia-Pacific particleboard manufacturing plant in Martell, California, or to other end users.
The project involves five stakeholder groups: (1) wood waste producers (e.g., operations involved with construction and demolition [C&D] debris, cut-to-size lumber, commercial wood waste from furniture), (2) collection agents, (3) processors of wood wast
e, which make the waste into a product that can be reused, (4) transportation contractors, shippers, and haulers, and (5) end users (e.g., Georgia-Pacific's Martell plant). The project has a variety of goals, including increasing the availability of the w
ood supply for particleboard production, contributing to Georgia-Pacific's goals of product stewardship, and contributing to California's mandated reduction in solid waste (e.g., 50 percent reduction by 2000).
Business factors driving the project include the shortage of fiber for the particleboard plant, rising costs of landfilling, and mandated solid waste reductions. Benefits include an expanded fiber supply in the Northwest. Contamination is one of the most
significant barriers to the wood recovery program. Often the collected wood is mixed in with metal, plastic, and paper and must be cleared of these contaminants to be usable. The captured paper, plastic, and nonferrous metals are sent to a landfill. Wood
byproducts that cannot be used in particleboard processing are sold for use as animal bedding, playground cover, soil amendment, and lawn or garden mulch.
Mr. Kurtz responded to a question about the economics of processing postconsumer fiber. Virgin fiber used in particleboard is often a byproduct from sawmills and is often less expensive than recovered fiber. As wood becomes more scarce, however, the econ
omics will even out. The wood waste processing, explained Mr. Kurtz, is performed by local contractors for which Georgia-Pacific provides training and testing.
SC Johnson & Son, Inc. (SC Johnson Wax): America Recycles Aerosols
Presenters: Tom Benson (SC Johnson Wax), William Heenan (Steel Recycling Institute), and Edmond Skernolis (WMX Technologies)
SC Johnson Wax, makers of consumer products such as Pledge , Shout , and Windex , has been one of the key players in the aerosol industry's aerosol can recycling program, Tom Benson said. He noted that the company is recognized as a formulator of environ
mentally responsible aerosol products and that it strives to achieve continuous improvement in products to provide quality performance and value with minimal environmental impacts. Upstream, the company has worked with its suppliers to produce lightweight
aerosol cans and to use a minimum of 25 percent recycled steel. Downstream, the company has worked to ensure that the empty aerosol container is responsibly handled in the recycling stream.
There are consumer misconceptions surrounding aerosol containers. For example, aerosol cans were regarded as environmental scapegoats in the late 1980s. Many consumers are not aware that aerosols have not contained chlorofluorocarbons since 1978. Becaus
e of such misconceptions, many municipal recycling programs originally forbade aerosol can recycling. SC Johnson conducted studies on the safety of processing empty aerosol cans and found there was a tremendous opportunity to recycle them an opportunity t
o keep some steel out of landfills and involve consumers in an environmental activity. According to Mr. Benson, results bear this out. In 1991, only one community recycled aerosols; now over 3,800 community programs recycle them.
The steel industry has been involved with the aerosol can recycling program just described, pointed out William Heenan. The Steel Recycling Institute realized it needed to educate municipal recycling managers about aerosol can recycling and provide them
with the information they needed to educate their constituency. Recyclers had numerous questions about recycling aerosol cans. They wanted to know whether aerosol cans are traditionally empty when thrown away, whether they are flammable, and what risks
are involved in recycling them. Research conducted by SC Johnson Wax, the Steel Recycling Institute, the Chemical Specialties Manufacturers Association, and the Factory Mutual Research Corporation found that the risks associated with recycling aerosols ar
e no different than the other risks in a materials recovery facility (MRF). The Steel Recycling Institute also conducted a study to confirm that aerosol cans are empty when handled in the recycling stream.
WMX Technologies, added Edmond Skernolis, has also been involved in aerosol can recycling. WMX was initially concerned about the safety of processing aerosol cans. WMX identified the concerns, worked with the aerosol industry to obtain accurate informati
on about the associated risks, and subsequently learned that aerosol cans could be recycled safely by observing basic good management and engineering practices. The company will now include aerosol cans in its recycling contracts.
Aerosol can recycling was made possible, concluded Mr. Benson, through partnerships, communication, information, and education. The key to the success of the program was leadership and perseverance. This program shows that industry can work in upstream a
nd downstream partnerships to effectively catalyze eco-efficiency at all junctures in the product's life-cycle.
Rochester Midland Corporation: Office Building Cleaning
Presenters: Stephen Ashkin (Rochester Midland Corporation), James Foley (Environmental Protection Agency), Norma Edwards (WECO), and Nelson Palma (General Services Administration)
Rochester Midland supplies cleaning products to the commercial and industrial marketplaces, explained Stephen Ashkin. The company has 5 manufacturing plants, 30 warehouses, and a total of 1,200 employees. When Rochester Midland realized it was not able t
o compete on price to achieve an advantage in the marketplace, the company recognized a growing need for cleaner, safer products. The company commissioned Arthur Andersen and Company to perform a gap analysis, which found that the greatest opportunities f
or meeting untapped customer needs were in two areas: safety and environmental impacts. Rochester Midland also realized that making its products safer would increase employee productivity due to reduced absenteeism and increased morale.
Rochester Midland examined both the human health and environmental effects of its products. The company wanted to reduce risk for product users, building occupants, and the general environment. Company officials realized that the availability of safer pr
oducts would be of little value without training cleaning personnel on how to use the products properly and safely.
Communication is a key aspect of Rochester Midland's approach to promoting cleaner and safer products. The company needed to obtain the commitment of product users and building owners as well as "buy-in" from occupants because programs are ineffective un
less those with a stake in the outcome of these programs are involved. Rochester Midland goes beyond educating its commercial clients by educating the public through speeches and articles in the trade press.
For example, consider a pilot project in a building owned by the General Services Administration (GSA), which is home to EPA's Region 2 Headquarters in New York City. Rochester Midland assembled a team of representatives from the various groups involved
(e.g., tenants, building owners, cleaning contractors). The team conducted surveys and identified problem areas, then set about training the cleaning staff. Training cleaning personnel can be difficult because of the high level of turnover in the industry
.
EPA's perspective as the tenant in the GSA-owned building adds to this example, noted James Foley. EPA participated in the building's design to incorporate environmental principles. EPA representatives visited INFORM's headquarters in New York, toured th
e Audubon Society building, and talked to internal Agency experts including members of the Environmental Response Team from EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. GSA provided samples of various building components, many of which EPA asked to
substitute with environmentally safer materials. EPA performed indoor air quality monitoring when the building was empty and full, reduced the lighting load, and installed water-saving fixtures and better air conditioning systems. After EPA moved into th
e building, the Agency found that some people were reacting to indoor pollutants. The problem appeared to be related to cleaning agents that were used to clean the furniture and carpeted surfaces. GSA worked with the cleaning contractor, who suggested co
ntacting Rochester Midland Company, which had a product line with low VOC emissions.
WECO was the cleaning contractor at the building. Norma Edwards of WECO explained that, traditionally, considerable emphasis is placed on protecting the outdoor environment; however, people spend an estimated 90 percent of their time indoors. As a cleani
ng contractor, WECO is committed to giving quality service. The company's commitment to continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, and pollution prevention led to the search for an alternative cleaning product. When EPA complained about the cleaning p
roducts being used in the building, WECO contacted Rochester Midland and several other manufacturers looking for products that would solve the problem. They learned that Rochester Midland could supply an alternative formulation that would potentially sol
ve the problem.
Nelson Palma of GSA pointed out that GSA, as the building owner, wants to interact with its tenants regarding every aspect of their office environment. One reason for this is that GSA must compete with the private sector and take its customer concerns se
riously. Investigating options for an alternative cleaning program provided an opportunity to develop partnerships. At the outset, WECO approached GSA to introduce the notion of identifying an alternative program; WECO then brought in Rochester Midland. G
SA performed a cost-benefit analysis and determined that switching to the alternative program would be cost effective.
GSA is now involving other tenants (e.g., the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service) and other buildings in the effort to use safer cleaning products. The project could not have succeeded without a strong team approach that includ
ed the involvement of suppliers, the contractor, tenants, and building owners and managers. The project is an example of stewardship, collaboration, and environmental ethics.
The key message of this case study, Mr. Ashkin concluded and the primary reason that EPA, GSA, and WECO were asked to share the podium with Rochester Midland is the importance of shared responsibility and the benefits of forming successful partnerships
up and down the chain of commerce.
Safety-Kleen Corporation: Solvent Take-Back
Presenter: Bill Constantelos
In describing his company's parts cleaning service and used oil recycling operations, Bill Constantelos emphasized that rather than providing a product, Safety-Kleen provides a service to its customers to help them manage spent solvent and used oil in an
environmentally appropriate manner.
In 1968, Safety-Kleen started leasing and servicing parts cleaning equipment and supplying the associated solvent. The company periodically took back the spent solvent for recycling and, in 1970, began supplying recycled solvent back to its customers, th
ereby "closing the loop." In 1993, Safety-Kleen introduced its "cyclonic green machine," which generates 50 to 80 percent less waste solvent, reducing the amount of clean solvent needed. The cyclonic green machine can precipitate solids and heavy grease,
allowing solvent to be used two to three times longer. By 1995, Safety-Kleen's customers had reduced their solvent use by 11 million gallons per year, he said.
The company's solvent recycling program involves more than 300,000 customers in operations such as gas stations and bike shops as well as in the steel industry. Business factors that serve as driving forces behind the program are providing safety, conven
ience, reliability, and cost effectiveness; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) "cradle to grave" regulations; and the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990. The benefits of the program include improved safety, resource conservation, reduced costs,
waste volume reduction, and environmental improvements. Barriers included the lack of a nationwide distribution system in 1970 when the closed-loop recycling system was established, RCRA inflexibility (e.g., paperwork, permitting, and other administrative
compliance costs), inconsistencies between the Pollution Prevention Act and the new Combustion Strategy rule, and the costs and limits of new technology.
Safety-Kleen also collects and recycles more than 170 million gallons of used oil per year. The company estimates that out of 1.4 billion gallons generated each year, 900 million gallons are collected (10 percent of which is rerefined and 90 percent is b
urned as fuel), and 500 million gallons escape proper handling. Safety-Kleen collects used oils after they are dirty and no longer useful as lubricants, rerefines them at the company's two North American rerefineries, then supplies rerefined oil products
to its customers. Project participants in Safety-Kleen's oil recycling program include used oil generators, rerefined oil approvers, and rerefined oil users (e.g., the federal government, blenders, individual consumers).
Project goals, stressed Mr. Constantelos, include economical collection and recycling of used oil and market development. Project drivers included Executive Order 12873 (which addresses federal government purchasing of recycled-content products), the dem
and for green products and services, and product liability reduction (i.e., ensuring that used oil does not cause environmental damage). The benefits of the project include cost savings for Safety-Kleen; producing a gallon of rerefined lube oil is 40 to 5
0 percent less expensive than producing a gallon of virgin crude oil. Other benefits include increased customer acceptance of "green" motor oils, reduced environmental impact, conservation of natural resources, and less waste handling.
The barriers to the used oil recycling project included perceived quality issues, acceptance by specification writers, uncontrolled burning, and the fact that used oil regulations do not favor recycling over burning. The project has resulted in improved
convenience for users, encouraged conservation and reuse, and satisfaction of consumers' green product demand.
Safety-Kleen's product take-back programs (i.e., solvent and used oil recycling) are, according to Mr. Constantelos, (1) an economical means to recycle, reduce, and reuse, (2) convenient to customers, and (3) profitable to the company.
Mr. Constantelos was asked whether Safety-Kleen's programs are really examples of extended service responsibility. Extended service responsibility, according to him, is a form of EPR. Safety-Kleen provides a service to its customers but also takes back p
roducts. He added that the solvent take-back and used oil recycling programs encourage the conservation and reuse of nonrenewable natural resources, provide generators with convenient options to improve the environment by managing wastes appropriately, an
d meet a growing demand for green products and services.
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation: Charge Up to Recycle
Presenter: Jefferson Bagby
The Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation's (RBRC's) "Charge Up to Recycle!" program is designed to make the public aware that used nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries should be recycled, began Jefferson Bagby. RBRC funds and facilitates Ni-Cd collecti
on and recycling programs across the United States. More than 200 companies worldwide that manufacture rechargeable products (e.g., cellular phones and laptop computers) for sale in North America fund the program.
Manufacturers pay 5 cents to place an RBRC seal on their batteries. The seal indicates that the batteries can be recycled through the RBRC program. When Ni-Cd batteries no longer work, consumers can bring them to one of numerous retailers who collect the
batteries in a cardboard box. When the box is full, the retailer seals the box and sends it via the United Parcel Service (UPS) with a prepaid, preaddressed label to a recycling facility in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. There, the entire battery is recycle
d the cadmium is used to make new batteries, and the other components are recycled into stainless steel.
EPR calls for shared responsibility based on the product system, and it involves partnerships between government, industry, retailers, and consumers. EPR also presents many policy options. The RBRC program is, according to Mr. Bagby, an asset recovery pr
ogram, not really a take-back initiative.
RCRA cradle-to-grave regulations were the greatest obstacle to recycling Ni-Cd batteries, Mr. Bagby explained, because batteries are considered hazardous waste. The Universal Waste Rule, which had to be adopted by individual states, could have eliminated
this barrier. Battery manufacturers lobbied state officials asking them to adopt the rule so that batteries could be collected for recycling, but, this was a large, time-consuming effort. The battery Act that was passed in 1996 implemented the Universal
Waste Rule nationwide for batteries only. As a result, batteries can be dropped off in retail stores, and county recycling programs can include them because they no longer must be handled under hazardous waste regulations.
The RBRC has established an 800 number that soon will appear on batteries and product literature and in television commercials and public service announcements. When consumers call the number (1-800-8-BATTERY), they can obtain the location of the nearest
retail store and county dropoff site. By January 1, 1997, 28,000 retail locations were expected to be participating in the battery recycling program.
A question was posed about program financing. Recycling Ni-Cd batteries, conceded Mr. Bagby, is a money-losing proposition. The license fee paid for the RBRC seal funds the UPS shipping and advertising. RBRC intends the 5-cent charge to last through 1997
. RBRC estimates that 25 percent of participants are free-riders (i.e., their batteries are collected and recycled but they do not pay the 5-cent charge). When asked about recycling nickel metal hydride batteries, Mr. Bagby stated that the RBRC hopes to
collect them in the near future because they can be recovered profitably.
In response to a question about program drivers, Mr. Bagby explained that Minnesota and New Jersey have passed laws requiring collection and recycling of Ni-Cd batteries. Some European countries mandate collection as well and have proposed a ban on Ni-Cd
batteries. The industry believes that unless manufacturers voluntarily collect and recycle the batteries, they will be banned or become hard to sell. Another participant asked whether any design changes in appliances have resulted from the program. State
laws have enabled Ni-Cd batteries to be more easily removed from products, answered Mr. Bagby. Power tool manufacturers had to redesign their products to use uniform-sized batteries that can be easily removed for recycling.
Interface Flooring Systems, Inc.: Evergreen Program
Presenters: Joan Reynolds and Graham Scott
Interface's Evergreen program, explained Joan Reynolds and Graham Scott, helps to illustrate some of the principles being discussed at this workshop. Interface manufactures carpet tiles used in commercial and institutional buildings. The company offers c
ustomers the Evergreen program, which is a bundled service package that includes design, layout, carpet tile installation, ongoing maintenance, and ultimate removal of carpet tiles for recycling. The program has three 7-year lease cycles. In the first cyc
le, the product design is established with long-term objectives. Designers conduct traffic surveys to help recommend designs and choose materials. After being selected, materials are subjected to wear simulations to determine how much wear and tear the ca
rpet can withstand. Final design and materials selection are based on these surveys and tests. The chosen design allows for periodic replacement of tiles in areas that get heavy use. The second lease cycle involves the renovation of the 20 percent of the
carpet that experiences high traffic. In the third cycle, a combination of new and existing carpet is used to rejuvenate the facility.
Carpet recovered from customers under this program is ground into powder and used in molded products or recycled into carpet backings. This is an important advance because raw material suppliers can provide yarn products with partial postindustrial conte
nt but rarely with postconsumer content.
The goals of the Evergreen program are to save nonrenewable natural resources by extending product life, to create a closed-loop recycling standard for the industry, and to implement Interface's cradle-to-cradle philosophy. The driving force behind the p
rogram is Interface's Chief Executive Officer, Ray Anderson, who believes that industry has the strongest voice in the creation of a sustainable America. The benefits of the program include the environmental advantages of diverting carpet from landfills a
nd producing performance carpet with less nylon face fiber. Another benefit is reducing the need for petroleum-based products. The program's ultimate goal is to recycle old carpet tiles into new ones and eliminate all its waste. A monthly expense can be m
ore practical for some customers than a large periodic capital outlay for flooring. In addition, the source lease ensures constant interaction on a regular basis with customers.
Program barriers include the economic justification of the program in the current market structure (i.e., shifting from short-term disposal to long-term use of products). Consumers need to be educated about environmental responsibility and the liability
of product ownership. Over a 21-year period, Interface believes it can realize both the environmental and economic benefits of the Evergreen program. Another barrier is the lack of available technology for breaking down carpet tile components and purifyin
g the fibers for reuse as raw material for making new carpet fiber. The backing system can be reused, but finding a commercially viable way to reuse the nylon fiber in new carpet has yet to be devised. Interface is researching the possibility of reusing t
he materials in other product areas. The low cost of energy is another hurdle; the Evergreen system will become more attractive if oil prices increase. Finding progressive financial partners also has been difficult (i.e., getting them to embrace the leasi
ng service concept).
Nortel (Northern Telecom): Product Life Cycle Management
Presenter: Virginia Snyder
Nortel is a supplier of digital telecommunications networks, began Virginia Snyder, offering products for designing and building digital networks for education, communication, and the business world. Nortel provides products and services to businesses,
universities, and governments, with approximately 40 percent of its markets outside North America. Nortel is a leader in environmental management. The company's philosophy holds that the product life cycle corresponds to the value chain, which measures th
e value of products and services from product design through product end-of-life. Nortel believes that efficiency improvements can be achieved by extending the producer's responsibility.
Nortel is currently pursuing several different projects under its product life-cycle management (PLCM) program. The goal of the PLCM program is to maximize environmental and economic efficiency. The challenge faced in implementing the program is to reori
ent the company's business and environmental functions away from being concerned solely with regulatory compliance.
There are four current Nortel initiatives:
- The materials recycling program. Nortel recycles 50 million pounds of equipment annually. This includes cables and components from excess or obsolete inventories. Nortel also accepts trade-ins from equipment sites. The equipment recycling prog
ram is profitable: 85 to 90 percent of the revenues are returned to businesses or customers. Approximately 90 percent of the equipment processed at the facilities (by weight) is recovered for reuse or recycling. The company's goal for 1998 is to have only
2 percent of its equipment (by weight) directed to landfills.
- The materials technology program. Nortel has a pilot project to develop a lead-free technology for its electronic component assembly. Lead from electronics is a growing part of the lead found in landfills. Nortel has successfully manufactured
two telephone sets with a lead-free printed wiring board.
- The product design program. Nortel is attempting to optimize the efficiency of new product designs by using a modular approach. The company's modular telephone designs allow customers to upgrade their phones by replacing components, avoiding
the necessity to buy an entire new unit. In addition to reducing the number of telephones discarded, this system leverages the customer's overall investment.
- The supply management project. The company has initiated a pilot project to develop a new chemical supply model to reduce the use and cost of chemicals. Nortel will be purchasing the services of chemical suppliers for a fixed fee rather than p
urchasing according to the amount of chemicals used. Nortel worked with its supplier to examine chemical processes, storage, and disposal operations. Nortel also developed recommendations for improving efficiencies of chemical use and for delivering only
the amount of product needed. The cost savings are shared between Nortel and its supplier.
One of the largest barriers to the PLCM program is changing the way people in the environmental department perceive their role and changing the way other people in the company perceive the environment. When asked how Nortel achieved individual business b
uy-in to its corporate goal, Ms. Snyder stated that Nortel worked very closely with its four major network businesses to sell them on the idea. Nortel developed its lead-free phone because of the European market and to be prepared for the advent of possib
le legislation in the future. The result has been an improved bottom line due to the elimination of costs associated with handling lead.
U.S. Council for Automotive Research-Vehicle Recycling Partnership: Vehicle Recycling Partnership
Presenter: Terry Cullum (General Motors)
Ninety-five percent of scrap vehicles in the United States are processed by a successful, market-driven recycling infrastructure, according to Terry Cullum. This infrastructure consists of the consumer, automotive dismantler, automotive shredder, materia
ls reprocessors, and the municipal solid waste landfill. Usually 75 percent of a vehicle by weight is recycled and 25 percent is landfilled, a fraction referred to as automotive shredder residue (ASR). ASR consists of plastics, rubber, fluids, and glass.
One of the Vehicle Recycling Partnership's (VRP's) goals is to reduce the amount of ASR sent to landfills. Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors formed the VRP in 1991. In 1993, the VRP opened the Vehicle Recycling Development Research Center in Highland P
ark, Michigan. The research center's goals were to improve upon the existing vehicle recycling infrastructure. Its mission is to develop, implement, and communicate research that promotes an integrated approach to the handling of end-of-life vehicles with
technical and economic efficiency.
Formal collaborative agreements are in place with the American Plastics Council, Automobile Recyclers Association, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, and the Aluminum Association. Other partners include the American Automobile Manufacturers Associa
tion, Argonne National Laboratories, and several other research institutes. The VRP collaborators meet twice a year and have developed a 5-year strategic plan.
The VRP has several projects, added Mr. Cullum, including developing design guidelines, which are common-sense things that businesses should do. Each company in the partnership tailored the guidelines and published its own version. The VRP also has a pil
ot project for pyrolysis, which is the thermal decomposition of organic materials in the absence of oxygen. The VRP knows that pyrolysis works technically but is trying to make it work economically. The VRP also has a mercury switch removal project, as we
ll as a project to develop methods of removing fluids from vehicles.
The benefits of the VRP's projects include creating a sustainable market-driven recycling infrastructure, reducing solid waste, removing contaminants from automotive recycling, and creating jobs. Obstacles include a recycling infrastructure focused on me
tals recovery, which makes recovery of nonmetals difficult.
Ford Motor Company: Bumper Take-Back and Recycling
Presenters: Anthony Brooks and Michael Patalan
Anthony Brooks and Michael Patalan introduced Ford Motor Company's bumper take-back and recycling program. Before implementing its program, Ford identified partners and secured cooperation from agents upstream and downstream, including GE Plastics and Am
erican Commodities, an automotive plastics recycler. Ford also worked with the engineering community to educate this group about the quality of postconsumer plastic and to assure them that it is not detrimental to product performance.
The driving factors for the program are profitability and leadership in the automobile industry. Ford issued a vehicle recycling directive stating its intention to be a leader in vehicle recycling in terms of design, materials choice, recycling strategie
s and technologies, and materials management. This directive also calls for internal training in recycling. Ford was the first automotive company to develop postconsumer content guidelines. Ford also has guidelines requiring the use of returnable packagin
g for its engine manufacturing operations.
Ford uses postconsumer plastic (25 percent minimum) in eight applications, including air conditioning and duct work. This translates into 47 million pounds of postconsumer content used. The company's goal is to manufacture 20 percent of its products with
a minimum of 25 percent postconsumer content. Ford has made a commitment to American Commodities to use the plastic that this company is able to recover. According to Mr. Brooks and Mr. Patalan, Ford would redesign products if necessary to incorporate po
stconsumer plastic.
DuPont Films: PET Regeneration Technology
Presenter: Len Jannaman
DuPont Films makes film for specialty packaging, computer tapes, X-ray film, and labels, as well as film for the printing industry. Mr. Jannaman indicated that these films are difficult to recycle via traditional routes because DuPont's customers use the
m in many different applications. DuPont Films has developed a new technology called "Petretec" (PET regeneration technology), which allows these types of postconsumer PET film to be recycled back into new film. This technology represents a step forward i
n PET recycling.
The PET industry is enormous, Mr. Jannaman continued. Some 24 billion pounds of PET were manufactured in 1994. While only about 1 percent of this PET was recycled, PET is one of the most recycled plastics. PET film accounts for 2.2 billion pounds of the
total amount of PET manufactured.
For PET film recycling to be successful, DuPont realized it needed to have a new technology and a customer-driven approach. The company has focused on involving its customers in developing a successful recycling program. The customer base of DuPont Films
is so varied that the company realized it would need to work with various trade associations. DuPont Films worked with the associations to survey their memberships about the importance to them of recycling, their demand for green products, critical indus
try issues, and their willingness to work with DuPont to recycle the films. DuPont realized the recycling program would be profitable only if it integrated business and environmental considerations.
DuPont's vision for the plastic films industry is to put the regeneration technology to work and create a competitive advantage for PET film. Benefits of the program include eliminating the landfilling of PET film worldwide, gaining global recognition fo
r meeting consumers' demand for green products, and reducing dependence on oil-derived feedstocks.
A question was asked about the sourcing of DuPont's materials, given the plummeting prices of virgin PET. DuPont is looking at the long term, replied Mr. Jannaman, and the project is still in its start-up phase. DuPont is currently working with used X-ra
y film as well as film used to make window shades. There had previously been no use for these plastics because they had too many coatings and thus DuPont's customers had to pay to landfill them.