Written on: August 1, 2012 by SprayTM
Honeywell announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has added Solstice Propellant (HFO-1234ze) to the list of compounds excluded from the definition of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). The EPA based its decision on the propellant’s low photochemical reactivity and negligible contribution to the generation of tropospheric ozone. The classification will help aerosol formulators develop products that meet federal VOC regulations, adding another key environmental benefit to the product’s very low global warming potential.
Honeywell’s non-flammable, non-ozone depleting Solstice Propellant has a global warming potential of six andcan be used in various aerosol applications including personal and household care products, dusters, warning systems, industrial cleaners and novelty aerosol products. See also Regulatory Issues, p.37.
Crown Aerosol Packaging North America, a business unit of Crown Holdings, Inc., has been issued a special permit exempting the company from Dept. of Transportation (DOT) regulations on the transportation of pressurized products. According to the company, Crown is the only metal packaging supplier to have received this exemption, which is based on technology advances in lightweighting and double seaming, and helps the company’s customers enhance their own sustainability platforms thanks to overall resource reduction and weight savings, translating to decreased fuel costs during transportation.
The Ardagh Group announced it was restructuring its UK operations. Manufacturing of aerosol sprays at the Dragon Parc site at Abercanaid will be transferred from Merthyr, Wales to Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. According to the company, it plans to support the 146 Merthyr employees in the event of job losses and review new employment opportunities at other Ardagh manufacturing locations.
Rexam has agreed to sell its underperforming personal care business in two parts for $709 million in cash and return about $580.5 million of the proceeds to investors.
Private equity firm Sun Capital Partners had agreed to buy the cosmetics, toiletries and household care division for $459 million, Rexam said, while Silgan Holdings would acquire its high-barrier food packaging business for $250 million.
Rexam put the businesses, which employ 7,000 people, on the block in February because they had been hit by rising costs and lower volumes. The company said it would
restructure as a result of the sale.
Jiang Guomin—Director of both the Shanghai Aerosol Chemical Technology Institute and the Shanghai Spray & Aerosol Research Center, as well as standing President of the Shanghai Spray Technology Society— recently presented Environment Friendly Fumigants & Their Application for Health, Quarantine & Inspection at the Frontier at the 2nd Beyond Agriculture Seminar in Shanghai, China.
