Once upon a time, you could buy, use and dispose of lots of different industrial chemicals for many different applications without regulatory pressure. Those days are over. Starting with the accelerated phase-out of Class I Ozone Depleting Substances, industry and government have had to make difficult and often more expensive solvent substitutions to balance chemical performance with safety, compliance [EPA, OSHA, CARB, SCAQMD, SDAPCD, OTC] and conformance [i.e. original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or military specification, technical order (MIL-PRF-680C, NSN 6580-01-584-7227]. Over the past 20+ years, this has resulted in the transition away from Trichloroethane (TCA) CAS # 71-55-6 to Trichloroethylene (TCE) CAS # 79-01-6 to Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) CAS # 67-63-0 to Acetone CAS # 67-64-1 for a number of organizations. The one-size fits all chemical simply does not exist.
Are all your chemicals only consumed for their intended use?
If you are using an industrial chemical for an application not listed or specified on the technical or product data sheet (TDS or PDS), please email us, or call us at 800 563-1305 to review your application and local/state/federal regulation affecting your chemical usage. We are amazed by how many phone calls, emails we receive and facilities we visit who are using Acetone, Brake & Choke aerosol cleaners, IPA, and WD-40® for mission critical applications on the maintenance and/or production of high value parts, equipment and fleets.
Many organizations find themselves stuck making a decision of cleaning performance “or” compliance/conformance. Fortunately, there are better, safer, and compliant ways to operate and maintain your parts, equipment, or fleets. Leveraging Lean concepts and Six Sigma procedures: define, measure, analyze, improve, control processes (DMAIC); Ecolink integrates hazardous source reduction (sometimes referred to as pollution prevention) into every chemical-related activity, product, or service as part of your environmental and quality management systems. Preventing waste and adding value requires involvement and commitment. Recognizing multiple groups often compete for limited resources, Ecolink facilitates end-to-end chemical solutions that generate more synergy than sparks. We are particularly effective helping organizations cited, fined or unsure of their total reputational and operational risk exposures. Because industrial chemicals get frequently purchased without consideration of your legal and customer requirements they often do not conform to internal management systems. Improving management controls at both chemical sourcing and use cycles reduces hazardous waste generated, which reduces regulatory burden, which can improve relations with regulators.
A New Approach: Generate less operating expenses + risk
We are constantly assessing trends to identify the risks and opportunities of our interconnected global societies, including environmental and social challenges. Bringing lean(er) chemical solutions to market that serve the needs of your customers, shareholder, and stakeholders allows us to count the quantifiable data beyond traditional accounting & finance such as human, social & environmental results. For example, Ecolink’s extensive study of bio based alternative solvents based on renewable feedstock’s allows our clients to navigate market conditions and price volatility – i.e. soy vs. Terpenes – for optimizing their metal working fluids and non-metal working soils.
Equating the quantifiable human impacts to financial success – across income statements, balance sheets and cash flow – offers a comprehensive way to calculate total cost of chemical ownership. Data-driven approaches are critical, connecting easily to the manage-by-numbers of traditional business success, while integrating a systematic view toward increasing stability (compliance, conformance) and reducing future risk. Ecolink aspires to embed a new type of thinking into every aspect of industrial chemical decision-making inside your organization. A generational shift is occurring in sustainable buying and investing. Realizing operational problems are multi-sector and solutions are multidisciplinary we study a broad range of performance indicators and gaps to close when designing your personalized, net-zero chemical footprint.
To monetize your environmental sustainability we study your CAS #’s in use including how long each is in use, linking to individual or groups of end-users by application, and rank by quantity consumed/disposed per year. To optimize your chemical footprint and develop compliant and conforming alternatives for present & future regulations we ask:
“What’s your chemical’s potential?” Starting with your 80/20 industrial chemicals we connect compliance points to your internal processes and document hazardous waste generated and associated solid waste. This could include designing and implementing a chargeback system whereby polluters pay internally.
Putting Lean(er) Chemical Solutions into Action
- What is your implementation rate of hazardous source reduction initiatives?
- Have you inventoried your environmental issues? How do you know which are most important?
- Do you have environmental performance objectives and targets? Are you making progress?
- How do you manage change? In new activities, products & services; in legal requirements; in pollution prevention (P2), reuse & recycling.
- Are you continually improving your environmental performance? What and when was your last big win?
Ready to take action? Call 800 563-1305 or email for compliance support.
To achieve consistency and control over your environmental performance and compliance requires training, communication, documentation, and monitoring/measuring. To calculate your environmental performance and compliance score multiply:
Volume * Toxicity * Probability * Degree of impact
Possible categories of impacts:
- Impacts on air, water & soil (pollution)
- Energy resources impacts (combustion & depletion of natural resources)
- Impacts on land resources from waste generation (use of solid and hazardous waste landfills)
- Impacts on raw material resources (depletion or reduced usage)
- Impacts on water supplies (usage & pollution)
Long Term Sustainability: Our legacies are connected
Are you foolish to bet on the long run? Rules will continue to change making your future more risky, time-consuming, and expensive. Future chemical readiness not only helps your reputation management (less toxins) it can also boost the integrity of your brand, culture. Efficient use of materials and energy, minimal use of hazardous substances, and low emissions are sustainable steps on the path to zero waste. Today Japanese companies must report to their government the cost or benefit to Japanese society of their environmental impact. Japan’s policy of public declaration encourages organizations to minimize cost and maximize benefit of their material throughput. Each of us leaves a legacy that is not strictly financial. As you weigh the costs and benefits of your current and future regulatory compliance, we welcome the opportunity to serve as a resource for designing and implementing lean(er) chemical solutions for your critical parts, equipment, or fleet.
The Better your Defense, the Better your Offense
Who is helping you promote your lean(er) chemical stories? In addition to the pollution prevention and profit protection benefits, we enjoy sharing your lean and sustainable stories on our website and social media outlets, at conferences and part of a book we are writing. The added exposure and public recognition can lead to local/regional/national awards and stronger relationships among regulators. For more information, please email or call 800 563-1305.