The widespread goal of reducing both overall energy costs and U.S. dependency on foreign oil continues to provide multiple opportunities for adhesives, sealants, and coatings manufacturers. Raw materials suppliers can help provide multiple benefits for the global wind energy sector-and share in the resulting success. “The ultimate goal is to reduce the cost of energy produced by wind turbines compared to alternatives,” writes Ashland Performance Materials’ Kevin Lambrych. “Through developing better partnerships with all players along the supply chain, the material supplier has real power to add value.” Learn more about “Partnering for Improved Wind Energy Products.”

Manufacturers are also seeking ways to minimize their impact on the environment, which not only plays well with consumers who are interested in “green” products, but can also actually improve the bottom line. According to Andrew Zaremba of American Sealants Inc., “The advancements in adhesive and sealant packaging help promote sustainability, decrease overall waste, create a more efficient process and generate cost savings-all while enhancing the overall product value.” Read more about “Effective and Efficient Packaging Solutions.”

Incorporating bio-based materials is another option. For example, work at Croda Inc. has resulted in the development of bio-based amine-functional building blocks that can be used in a number of applications. “Formulation Freedom” has the details.

Keeping track of all of the various factors involved with eco-footprint management can be an overwhelming task. “Greening the Supply Chain” includes information regarding how companies can take advantage of enterprise resource planning software to help them track and evaluate environmental impact data.

I’d love to hear about your company’s green products and processes. Please contact me at (330) 336-4098 or suttons@bnpmedia.com to share your story.