Green Options » DuPont

DuPont’s Solution to Fragile Solar Cells

Lisa Wojnovich — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:55:13 +0000

One of the biggest problems with solar cells currently on the market is that they are extremely easy to break. Companies intent on manufacturing any sort of solar powered products have to find solutions, and few have yet been perfect. Hoping to change this trend, DuPont recently announced the launch of two new lines of encapsulants specifically designed to contend with the trials inherent in manufacturing photovoltaic products.

Ditch the Teflon, Say Hello To Safe Cooking

Carlota Bindner — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:55:46 +0000

In her article, “The Essential Resource for Green Family Life: Healthy Child Healthy World“, Jennifer Lance mentioned the Healthy Child Healthy World’s advice on getting rid of Teflon in your kitchen. Teflon is the DuPont brand name for polytetrafluoroethtylene, or PTFE, a type of PFC that is used as a non-stick coating for most cookware. A PFC means that it is a chemical compound composed of fluorine and carbon atoms If you walk down the aisle at any store that sells pots and pans, or even in your pantry at home, I am sure you have noticed those wonderful non-stick pans that make cooking and clean up a breeze. Yes, they are wonderful because you do not need to use as much butter, oil, or whatever else you add to prevent food from sticking to the pan but have you ever wondered what happens as that nonstick coating scratched? What exactly is it that you could be adding to your food?

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DuPont Banking on Solar to Boost its Bottom Line

Dave Tyler — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:12:59 +0000

Chemical maker DuPont (NYSE:DD) said this week it expects to triple its photovoltaic sales to $1 billion annually by 2012.

The increase will come as the market for solar power increases and the company boosts its own ability to produce solar cells, company officials said during the Jefferies 7th Global Clean Technology Conference.

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Jump on the Green Bandwagon - Attend Greener by Design 2009

Brenda Keener — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:21:30 +0000

The question for businesses used to be “Can we afford to go green?” Now it is ” Can we afford NOT to go green?” The upcoming Greener by Design 2009 conference, to be held May 19-20 in San Francisco will focus on helping industries learn to cut costs, create efficiency, and move towards sustainability through a series of focused hands-on innovation sessions, small-group consultative sessions, and demonstrations of new materials and tools.

Keynote speakers are from Terracycle and McDonough partners, and corporate attendees include Microsoft, Walmart, HP, BP, 3M, Dell, Dupont, and General Motors.

Unfortunately, the early bird discount deadline is past - and the conference now costs $1999. The good news is that if your company registers 3 people, the 4th is free!

Last years conference was rated very highly - and this looks like a MUST ATTEND for any business wanting to harness some of the green economic momentum that is gathering daily.

Greening Print Marketing: Flexo Bests Gravure for Sustainability

Heidi Tolliver-Nigro — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 02:16:25 +0000

For packaging and other high-volume jobs, should you select flexo or gravure from an environmental perspective? According to two peer-reviewed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies published by DuPont, the answer is flexo.

The study could not do a direct comparison of gravure cylinders and mounted flexographic plates because they are not functionally equivalent. However, the study did investigate the cradle-to-grave environmental footprint of both processes based on final printed film.

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The Eco-Friendly Skies: Greening the Airline Industry

Lisa Wojnovich — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:09:54 +0000

Yet another product has been added to the list of new and innovative things we can make from corn. Recently, Dupont Tate & Lyle Bio Products announced that, working in conjunction with Kilfrost, a major producer of de- and anti-icing fluids for aircraft, they have come up with a new de-icer derived from non-petroleum sources — namely, corn and sugar.

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CO2 vs. Fluorocarbons: The Battle for the Automotive Air Conditioning Market Rages On

Lisa Wojnovich — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:35:25 +0000

Ever heard of HFO-1234yf? No? Well, give it time. You will. That random alphanumeric string is the trade name of a new chemical refrigerant (whose technical name is an even bigger mouthful, 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene) jointly developed by Honeywell and Dupont. And after December 8, when the Society of Automotive Engineers’ International Research Program endorsed it as the best answer to Europe’s new, stringent, and impending regulations governing mobile air conditioning (MAC) systems, HFO-1234yf looks to be poised to become the latest industry standard.

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Free Patent Details Revealed By Bosch, Du Pont and Xerox

Chris Milton — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:57:19 +0000

Bosch, Du Pont and Xerox have joined the Eco Patent Commons, an international effort to speed up the progress of sustainable development.

Their paticipation brings the number of free patents available for use by anyone in the world to 69, more than doubling the original number.

Hosted by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) the Commons was established in January this year by IBM, Nokia, Pitney Bowes and Sony in response to a growing dilemma among large businesses.

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News Alert :: Glycols Go Green And Ecocert Certified!

Emma Pezzack — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:21:41 +0000

Propylene and butylene glycol are two of the worst toxic ingredients quietly slipped into almost all of our conventional beauty products. God knows how they ever got there in the first place! Well, actually I have several opinions on that subject but another time… Just so you know, these petrochemicals are used for things like anti-freeze (in your car battery), polyurethane (plastics) and as an emollient in your moisturizer, lipstick, foundation, etc… you get the picture.

THIS IS A BIG DEAL… In collaboration with Lyle Bioproducts, DuPont have just released a new corn-sugar based glycol alternative to the petrochemical by-product currently used for cosmetics. Certified natural by French certification body Ecocert, this quantifies the ingredient has 95% natural and 10% organic composition. As well, the production of this new ingredient known as Zemea (presumably after the generic name for corn which is zea mays), leads to a 50% drop in greenhouse gas emissions as well as a 40% reduction in the use of petroleum.

One day at a time, one step at a time … what an amazing leap forward for the whole beauty industry.

Big Business Pushing for Mandatory Emissions Caps

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:42:27 +0000

Companies including General Electric, Nike, Nestle, DuPont “have issued a statement calling for a legally binding and mandatory cap on worldwide greenhouse gas emissions” in today’s Financial Times.

Putting People Where the Profits Are Green

Maria Surma Manka — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 12:33:10 +0000

A survey released earlier this summer found that while 82 percent of senior technology leaders from companies around the world “closely” monitor the global warming issue, most (65 percent) do not have a defined energy strategy for it.

The “Return on Environment” study included interviews of 420 senior business decision-makers from the U.S., U.K., Canada, and China who worked for companies with revenues the equivalent of US$100 million or more.

Despite over half of respondents reporting that they don’t have a defined energy strategy, 77 percent believe there is a need to create some sort of chief energy officer position to develop, implement, and manage a company’s return on investment in clean energy technology and sustainable business practices.

Joe Paluska of the international communications firm that performed the survey, Hill & Knowlton, said in a statement:

“Despite the hype, few companies are plotting a measurable action plan to drive return on environment…We expect reputation, risk and return to suffer until companies really stand up and take charge and industry as a whole sets the standard for measuring return on environment.”

Perhaps that will soon change. The New York Times recently profiled several global companies that have implemented a position solely dedicated to linking sustainability and efficiency with a better bottom line (and who are promoting it like crazy).

General Motors’ vice president for environment, energy, and safety policy, Elizabeth A. Lowery, says that ensuring credibility is a priority of her position. She explains that she “toned down” broad statements and claims that were part of GM’s “Live Green Go Yellow” campaign and added more facts (thanks – facts are good).

At DuPont, Linda Fisher is the chief sustainability officer. She says her job is to ensure that the company never overstates the “greenness” of its items. She’s helping to develop a scorecard that researchers can use to determine whether their work will actually produce products that are smarter for the environment.

Those who have been on the greener side for a longer period of time are divided over these new efforts. While greenwashing is a rightful concern, others are cautiously optimistic that corporations are finally making the connection that efficiency and sustainability can go hand-in-hand with profits.

Most importantly, consumers are making the connection too.

Hill & Knowlton
New York Times
Wikipedia

Cross posted at Maria Energia