The Adhesive and Sealant Council Inc. (ASC) has submitted six terms and definitions related to sustainability to the ASTM D 14 Adhesives Subcommittee on Terminology for inclusion in the ASTM D 907 (Standard Terminology for Adhesives). The ASTM Subcommittee reviewed and approved the submission for balloting by the full ASTM D 14 Committee, beginning in January 2012. The six terms to be included in the January balloting process include lifecycle assessment (LCA), lifecycle, sustainability, renewable resource, bio-based products/material, and carbon footprint.

“One of the outcomes the council’s Sustainability Summit was a clear need for establishing common terminology related to sustainability that industry can recognize,” said Mark Collatz, the ASC’s director of Government Relations. “This cooperative effort between ASC and ASTM is a first step in creating a baseline of understanding for sustainability terminology within the adhesive industry.”

The terms to be balloted were initially identified by the 86 attendees at the ASC’s Sustainability Summit in July. Following the event, the ASC’s Technical Committee undertook a desktop research project and identified existing definitions for each term. The committee then came to a consensus on what they deemed most appropriate for the industry. The term definitions will be balloted though March 2012. If there are objections, industry members will have the opportunity to respond at the April ASTM Terminology Subcommittee meeting in Phoenix, AZ.

The ASC and its Technical Committee say they expect to undertake a similar process in January 2012 with ASTM’s C24 Sealant Committee for additional terms and definitions related to sealants.

For more information, visit www.ascouncil.org.