Greenlist(tm) Bulletin 09/14/2007
This is the weekly bulletin of the TURI Library, reporting a selection of recently published titles we have acquired. Our pledge is to keep the bulletin relevant to your work and brief -- no more than 10 titles. You are welcome to send a message to jan@turi.org if you would like more information on any of the articles listed here.
Titles here, abstracts below:
- Waste couture: environmental impact of the clothing industry
- Canada, Mexico, U.S. sign chemical testing pact
- Stakeholder engagement: a good practice handbook for companies doing business in emerging markets
- New solution in lice war
- Flame-retardant materials with more nanotechnology and less toxic chemicals
- Man-made chemicals blamed as many more girls than boys are born in Arctic
- Investigative report: U.S. ships unsafe products
- Multiphase latex leads the way in low- to zero-VOC
- Data track the expansion of international and U.S. organic farming
- Feud over 'organic' dry-cleaning claim
1. Waste couture: environmental impact of the clothing industry
Author: Claudio, Luz
Source: Environmental Health Perspectives, September 2007, ppA448-A454
Abstract: On a Saturday afternoon, a group of teenage girls leaf through glossy fashion magazines at a New Jersey outlet mall. Shopping bags brimming with new purchases lay at their feet while they talk excitedly about what's in style to wear this summer. Far away in Tanzania, a young man proudly wears a T-shirt imprinted with the logo of an American basketball team while shopping at the local mitumba market for pants that will fit his slender figure. Although seemingly disparate, these two scenes are connected through the surprising life cycle of clothing.
How does a T-shirt originally sold in a U.S. shopping mall to promote an American sports team end up being worn by an African teen? Globalization, consumerism, and recycling all converge to connect these scenes. Globalization has made it possible to produce clothing at increasingly lower prices, prices so low that many consumers consider this clothing to be disposable. Some call it "fast fashion," the clothing equivalent of fast food.
Fast fashion provides the marketplace with affordable apparel aimed mostly at young women. Fueling the demand are fashion magazines that help create the desire for new "must-haves" for each season. "Girls especially are insatiable when it comes to fashion. They have to have the latest thing, always. And since it is cheap, you buy more of it. Our closets are full," says Mayra Diaz, mother of a 10-year-old girl and a buyer in the fashion district of New York City. Disposable couture appears in shopping mall after shopping mall in America and Europe at prices that make the purchase tempting and the disposal painless.
Yet fast fashion leaves a pollution footprint, with each step of the clothing life cycle generating potential environmental and occupational hazards. For example, polyester, the most widely used manufactured fiber, is made from petroleum. With the rise in production in the fashion industry, demand for man-made fibers, especially polyester, has nearly doubled in the last 15 years, according to figures from the Technical Textile Markets. The manufacture of polyester and other synthetic fabrics is an energy-intensive process requiring large amounts of crude oil and releasing emissions including volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, and acid gases such as hydrogen chloride, all of which can cause or aggravate respiratory disease. Volatile monomers, solvents, and other by-products of polyester production are emitted in the wastewater from polyester manufacturing plants. The EPA, under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, considers many textile manufacturing facilities to be hazardous waste generators.
Link: http://www.ehponline.org/members/2007/115-9/focus.html
2. Canada, Mexico, U.S. sign chemical testing pact
Author: Sissell, Kara
Source: Chemical Week, August 29, 2007, p8
Abstract: The governments of Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. have signed a trilateral chemical testing accord to prioritize and conduct risk assessments for thousands of industrial chemicals. The testing program is part of a larger agreement signed by President Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Mexican President Felipe Calderon, and includes commitments to cooperate on disease prevention, intellectual property, and science and technology projects.
The agreement builds on results from the high-production volume (HPV) chemical testing accord in the U.S. between EPA, the chemical industry, and Environmental Defense (New York), as well as on Canada's chemical management program, EPA says. ACC, the industry group Consumer Specialty Products Association and its Canadian affiliate, the Soap and Detergent Association, and Socma say they endorse the program.
3. Stakeholder engagement: a good practice handbook for companies doing business in emerging markets
Source: International Finance Corporation (IFC), 2007
Abstract: When consultation activities are primarily driven by rules and
requirements, they tend to become a one-time set of public meetings, typically around the environmental and social assessment process. This type of consultation rarely extends in any meaningful way beyond the project planning phase, and is seldom integrated into core business activities or measured in terms of its effectiveness in building constructive working relationships. Today, the term “stakeholder engagement” is emerging as a means of describing a broader, more inclusive, and continuous process between a company and those potentially impacted that encompasses a range of activities and approaches, and spans the entire life of a project. The change reflects broader changes in the business and financial worlds, which increasingly recognize the business and reputational risks that come from poor stakeholder relations, and place a growing emphasis on corporate social responsibility and transparency and reporting. In this context, good stakeholder relations are a prerequisite for good risk management.
The focus of this handbook is on stakeholder groups “external” to the core operation of the business, such as affected communities, local government authorities, non-governmental and other civil society organizations, local institutions and other interested or affected parties. We have not addressed engagement with suppliers, contractors, distributors, or customers, because interaction with these parties is a core business function for most companies and subject to national regulations and/or established corporate policies and procedures.
The handbook is divided into two parts. Part One contains the key concepts and principles of stakeholder engagement, the practices that are known to work, and the tools to support the delivery of effective stakeholder engagement. Part Two shows how these principles, practices, and tools fit with the different phases of the project cycle, from initial concept, through construction and operations, to divestment and/or decommissioning. Each of these phases presents different environmental and social risks and opportunities for the project
and, as such, different practices in stakeholder engagement need to be employed and integrated into management systems at each stage.
Link: http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/enviro.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/
p_StakeholderEngagement_Full/$FILE/IFC_StakeholderEngagement.pdf
4. New solution in lice war
Author: Jones, Gifford
Source: Toronto Sun, September 8, 2007
Abstract: Why am I scratching my head? It's because I'm writing about head lice and even the thought of having this crawly beast, "Pediculosis capitis," in my hair triggers this reaction.
It also makes me understand the traumatic, emotional and embarrassed reaction of parents (and child) when they're told, "Sarah (or Johnnie) has head lice." Now that school has started, over a million parents in this country will hear this news. Fortunately, a new "Sahara Desert" treatment rids families of this common pest.
Diagnosis depends on finding lice with either a magnifying glass or louse comb. And if lice are spotted few parents waste time running to their local pharmacy. The time honoured treatment has been the use of pesticides, but there is concern about the use of this medication.
Dr. James Bergman, pediatric dermatologist, University of British Columbia, says studies show these crawly creatures over the years have developed increasing resistance to pesticides and have become "super lice."
It also seems illogical to wash children's hair with pesticides when environmentalists tell us not to use pesticides even on our lawns. But until now parents have had little choice but to use this method that destroys the louse's nervous system.
Health Canada has now approved a new medication, Resultz, that contains isopropyl myristate 50%, for children four years of age and older. This ingredient has been used for years in low concentrations in cosmetic and dermatological products such as baby creams, bath oils and shaving lotions.
Resultz uses a different tack in destroying lice. It's the "Sahara Desert" approach, namely death by dehydration. This medication dissolves the wax that covers the louse's skeleton and it quickly dries up and dies.
Link: http://www.torontosun.com/Lifestyle/2007/09/08/4479478-sun.html
5. Flame-retardant materials with more nanotechnology and less toxic chemicals
Author: Berger, Michael
Source: Nanowerk, August 30, 2007
Abstract: Firefighters and stuntmen certainly appreciate the fire resistant capabilities of modern textiles. Going far beyond such niche use, flame retardant materials have become a major business for the chemical industry and can be found practically everywhere in modern society. If you live in a country where houses are mostly built from wood (like in the U.S.; where, on the other hand, the things that used to be wood are now plastic - like Christmas trees; flame retardant ones of course) most structural timber and wood elements such as paneling are treated to make them more fire resistant. Plastic materials are replacing traditional materials like wood and metal - just look at the toys you played with and the ones your kids have today. Unfortunately, the synthetic polymeric materials we group under the term 'plastic' are flammable. To decrease their flammability they require the addition of flame-retardant chemical compounds. The plastic casings, circuit boards and cables of your computers, electrical appliances or car are flame retardant. So is practically every material in airplanes, trains and ships from the fabric of seats to every kind of plastic structure found onboard. Name any plastic product and chances are it has been made flame retardant. Conventional methods for making plastic flame retardant involve a range of not exactly harmless chemicals. Improving the flame retardancy of polymeric materials without the use of toxic chemicals could now become possible thanks to the synergistic effect of carbon nanotubes and clay.
Therefore it has come handy that researchers have been able to modify the flammability properties of polymers with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Previous research has shown that nanoparticle fillers are highly attractive for the purpose of making a material more flame retardant, because they can simultaneously improve both the physical and flammability properties of the polymer nanocomposite. It also has been shown that CNTs can surpass nanoclays as effective flame-retardant additives if they form a jammed network structure in the polymer matrix, such that the material as a whole behaves rheologically like a gel. Both CNTs and clay can improve the flame retardancy of plastics. Their flame retarding mechanisms are different and their effect for improving the flame retardancy is limited when they are used alone. However, when they are used together, a significant synergism happens.
Link: http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=2445.php
6. Man-made chemicals blamed as many more girls than boys are born in Arctic
Author: Brown, Paul
Source: The Guardian, September 12, 2007
Abstract: Twice as many girls as boys are being born in some Arctic villages because of high levels of man-made chemicals in the blood of pregnant women, according to scientists from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (Amap).
The scientists, who say the findings could explain the recent excess of girl babies across much of the northern hemisphere, are widening their investigation across the most acutely affected communities in Russia, Greenland and Canada to try to discover the size of the imbalance in Inuit communities of the far north.
In the communities of Greenland and eastern Russia monitored so far, the ratio was found to be two girls to one boy. In one village in Greenland only girls have been born.
The scientists measured the man-made chemicals in women's blood that mimic human hormones and concluded that they were capable of triggering changes in the sex of unborn children in the first three weeks of gestation. The chemicals are carried in the mother's bloodstream through the placenta to the foetus, switching hormones to create girl children.
Lars-Otto Reierson, executive secretary for Amap, said: "We knew that the levels of man-made chemicals were accumulating in the food chain, and that seals, whales and particularly polar bears were getting a dose a million times higher than that existing in plankton, and that this could be toxic to humans who ate these higher animals. What was shocking was that they were also able to change the sex of children before birth."
Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/gender/story/0,,2167005,00.html
7. Investigative report: U.S. ships unsafe products
Author: Carollo, Russell
Source: The Sacramento Bee, September 9, 2007
Abstract: Ten days ago, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced another in a series of well-publicized recalls of Chinese-made goods: children's art sets containing crayons, markers, pastels, pencils, water colors -- and lead -- distributed by Toys "R" Us.
"Consumers should immediately take the products away from children," warned a news release from the federal government's watchdog for thousands of household items. "The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families."
But 13 months earlier, in July 2006, the CPSC, without a press release or corresponding media attention, authorized a Los Angeles company to export to Venezuela 16,520 art sets that violated the same CPSC standard protecting children from dangerous art supplies. The following month, the agency authorized a Miami company to export to Jamaica 5,184 sets of wax crayons that also violated the standard.
Though recalls coordinated by the CPSC of Chinese-made goods have made headlines recently, for decades the federal agency has allowed American-based companies to export products deemed unsafe here.
Those products can present an even greater danger in a country that has only a handful of government employees devoted to consumer protection, said R. David Pittle, a former acting CPSC chairman who spent 22 years as a senior vice president for Consumers Union.
"If the United States doesn't have very many inspectors, how many do you think there are in Honduras or Jamaica or Trinidad or Bulgaria?" Pittle asked.
Using the CPSC's database of exports of non-approved products and hundreds of pages of documents obtained through the federal Freedom of Information Act, The Bee found that between October 1993 and September 2006, the CPSC received 1,031 requests from companies to export products the agency had found unsafe for American consumers. The CPSC approved 991 of those requests, or 96 percent.
Link: http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/368866.html
8. Multiphase latex leads the way in low- to zero-VOC
Author: Clow, Kent
Source: PCI Paint & Coatings Industry, July, 2007, pp68-69
Abstract: Due to the higher polymer content of the paint film, there are greater performance demands for semi-gloss paints than for flat paints. These demands include gloss retention, block resistance and adhesion over previously painted glossy substrates. For exterior paints that are subjected to solar warming, block resistance performance is especially critical.
As the regulations drive allowable VOC levels in paint formulations lower, these performance properties can become more difficult to achieve. In order to achieve low-VOC coatings, the paint formulator either uses latex with a low glass transition temperature (Tg), or one with high amounts of non-volatile film formers. Unfortunately, both solutions can lead to poor block resistance, poor early water resistance and poor dirt resistance.
This problem can be overcome by using Acronal Optive® 130 from BASF, which is a multiphase latex with soft and hard phases on each latex particle. The soft phase aids in continuous film formation, whereas the hard phase helps to create outstanding block and dirt resistance.
9. Data track the expansion of international and U.S. organic farming
Author: Greene, Catherine
Source: Amber Waves, September, 2007
Abstract: The consumption of organic food and beverages is concentrated in Europe and the United States, but the production of certified organic products is scattered worldwide. U.S. production and domestic consumption of organic products continues to increase. Organic farming systems rely on ecologically based practices, such as cultural and biological pest management, and virtually exclude the use of synthetic chemicals in crop production and prohibit the use of antibiotics and hormones in livestock production.
More than 77 million acres of agricultural land were being managed organically by farms in 119 countries in 2005-06. The U.S. ranks fourth behind Australia, China, and Argentina in certified organic land. In Australia and Argentina, pasture and rangeland are the dominant use of the organically managed land. China is producing a range of certified organic crops, including beans, cereals, and oilseeds in Northeast provinces and tea, rice, ginger, soybeans, and vegetables in the Eastern and Southern provinces. The domestic market for organic products is expanding modestly in China and other developing countries. Most of the countries with the fastest growth in organic production—including China, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay, and Ukraine—produce organic products primarily for export.
Organic agriculture is showing strong growth in the United States, too, as more consumers buy organic products. U.S. producers dedicated over 4.0 million acres of farmland—1.7 million acres of cropland and 2.3 million acres of rangeland and pasture—to organic production systems in 2005, according to the most recent estimates.
The U.S. organic farm sector is diverse, with both small-scale operations marketing directly to consumers and large-scale operations targeting national and international markets.
Link: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/September07/DataFeature/
10. Feud over 'organic' dry-cleaning claim
Author: Price, Jennifer
Source: The Arizona Republic, September 8, 2007
Abstract: A feud erupted in the dry-cleaning industry after an article ran in The Arizona Republic in July featuring a young entrepreneur and his "organic" cleaning technique. Brad Keeling, owner of Organic Cleaners in north Phoenix and downtown, uses a solvent called DF2000, a synthetic petroleum. Keeling advertises that his solvent is chemically inert, biodegradable and non-toxic. And the name of his business, Organic Cleaners, implies a "green" establishment.
This is where things get a little complicated, because of differing perceptions of what the word organic means. When you go to the grocery store and buy organic foods, you're buying foods that are pesticide-free and absent of any growth stimulants. But when you buy any other product that is labeled "organic," you're getting a product that contains a hydrocarbon, because by definition a chemical is organic if it contains the element carbon. DF2000 is indeed organic, but so is gasoline and most all other dry-cleaning solvents used since the industry was created, including perchloroethylene, or perc, the solvent used by more than 85 percent of U.S. dry cleaners. So the word "organic" doesn't translate to environmentally friendly, chemical-free and "green" when it comes to dry cleaning.
Link: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0908organic0908.html
You are welcome to send a message to jan@turi.org if you would like more information on any of these resources. Also, please tell us what topics you are particularly interested in monitoring, and who else should see GREENLIST. An online search of the TURI Library catalog can be done at http://slk060.liberty3.net/turi/ for greater topic coverage.
This page updated Friday September 14 2007