Environmentally Preferred Products sustainability

The use of Green Chemistry can result in products that are more environmentally preferable and sustainable. 

The chemical industry has a unique role to play in the creation of cradle-to-cradle products and systems. To begin with, the chemical industry must understand the design ideals of and adopt a framework for designing sustainable technology. Cradle-to-cradle can offer a unifying vision, framework, and approach. Next, it is important to understand what the chemical industry s customers want, and why. Are clients specifying environmentally preferable materials What is encouraging this Some of the drivers for environmentally preferable products based on sustainable materials include ... 

As for the mattress core, natural latex is the environmentally preferred stuffing, a rubber-tree product that can be sustainably sourced. Some mattresses are stuffed with a mix of natural and synthetic latex, as the latter substance is cheaper (although chemicals are added in the manufacturing process). Both choices are better than the polyurethane foam found in most conventional mattresses. Still other mattress cores have an innerspring system and batting, often cotton. In-nerspring mattresses are a popular crib choice some people think their firmness prevents SIDS. 

Polymer materials based on annually renewable agricultural and bioniass feedstocks can form the basis for a portfolio of sustainable, environmentally preferable alternatives to current materials based exclusively on petroleum feedstocks. Two basic routes are possible. Direct extraction from biomass yields a series of natural polymer materials (cellulose, starch, proteins), fibers, and vegetable oils that can form the platform on which polymer materials and products can be developed as shown in Figure 9, the bolded items in the Figure represents our work in diis area. 

Once a chemical or material is positively defined, that is it is fuUy characterized and determined to be preferable as used with respect to human and environmental health and safety, organizations may establish a platform from which to develop products and processes. We provide as examples of positively defining chemicals and chemical products the CleanGredients database and the Coastwide Laboratories Sustainable Earth Green Chemistry (SEGC) 114 Standard for green chemical product development. 

Flame-retardants that are preferable would have been evaluated in risk assessments to ensure acceptable environmental profiles, human health profiles, and risk management in place. The use of excellent product stewardship to keep flame-retardants out of the environment is a key to sustainability of the products and an important attribute of Green Solutions. ... 

As discussed by Mahlanza et al. (2003) and Troskie (2001), changing consumer preferences towards more health and environmental awareness led to an increase in the demand for products from sustainable production. According to Grolink (2002), South Africa has, contrary to other sub-Saharan countries, a substantial domestic market for organic products. This indicates that the potential for organic farming in South Africa is not only based on the access to export market in Europe and the USA but also on local demand. 

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