Acushnet Rubber Company, New Bedford MA
Acushnet Rubber Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts was the first company in Massachusetts to obtain certification in ISO 14001, an international standard for environmental management. The company was also the first in the world to become certified in ISO 14001, ISO 9001 (a standard for quality programs), and the American automotive industry's QS-9000 quality standards. The company was able to move quickly to achieve ISO 14001 certification by taking advantage of the work previously done in completing a toxics use reduction (TUR) plan.

AlphaGary Corporation, Leominster, MA
In 1998, the AlphaGary Corporation (www.alphagary.com) successfully launched a Lead Reduction Pilot Program, in which they evaluated the use of alternatives to lead compounds in their products, while producing materials of equivalent or improved quality. This evaluation allowed the company to successfully incorporate these alternatives into their design process, thereby reducing the amount of time to bring new products to market. By 2004, the company experienced a 30% reduction in the use of lead and lead compounds, as well as reducing other toxic materials such as cadmium compounds and other heavy metals.

BOC Edwards Corporation, Wilmington, MA
To improve quality of service and environmental, health and safety performance, BOC Edwards installed an enclosed, automated wash system and closed-loop wastewater treatment unit at its pump-remanufacturing center in Wilmington, MA. The new system recycles nearly 100% of the process water used to clean pump components and decreases waste sludge by approximately 80% compared to previous operations.

Brittany Dying & Printing Corporation, New Bedford, MA
With assistance from a $425,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's NICE3 program, Brittany Dyeing and Printing Corporation implemented a new technology for finishing fabric that is more efficient, cost effective, and generates less waste than traditional methods. The project was completed in December 1998, and is expected to provide the following benefits: reduce energy consumption by over 60% per unit weight of fabric; reduce air emissions by over 60%; increase production capability by over 100% through higher production speeds; reduce wastewater discharge almost 80%; and cut water use by over 65%. The company estimates that the new process will reduce annual operating costs (primarily energy, water and wastewater costs) by approximately $150,000, a 36% savings.

Brownell Boat Stands Inc., Massapoisett, MA
In an effort to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from its coating operations, Brownell Boat Stands Incorporated switched from a low-percent solids paint thinned with toluene to high-solids coatings that could be thinned with acetone, a non-VOC. Brownell also expanded its manufacturing facility to allow product inventory to be stored inside, and installed an automatic dip coating machine to handle a portion of the company's production line. Thanks to these changes, the company has been able to reduce facility VOC emissions by half while steadily increasing production.

Burlington Board of Health, Burlington, MA
Over the past several years, the Town of Burlington, Massachusetts has implemented a number of innovative municipal environmental health programs, including special criteria for site planning and development, a universal waste management program, a comprehensive study and analysis of environmental health and safety issues in Burlington public schools, and an education and outreach program to local businesses. In both 1997 and 1998, the Burlington Board of Health was recognized through the Governor's Award for Toxics Use Reduction for its pollution prevention achievements.

Columbia Manufacturing, Inc., Westfield, MA
Columbia Manufacturing Inc. in Westfield, Massachusetts eliminated the use of 150,000 gallons of water per day in their plating operations. Columbia saved $80,000 in sewer fees, among other cost savings, by upgrading the plating equipment and integrating a zero discharge wastewater treatment system. The new, efficient plating line enables the company to recover and reuse 98% of the plating chemistry resulting in a drastic reduction of hazardous waste generation.

Coyne Textile Services, New Bedford, MA
Coyne Textile Services, an industrial laundry service, used simple but effective toxics use reduction techniques that resulted in reductions of over 19,000 pounds of chemicals and conservation of 2 million gallons of water. This translates into over $25,000 in savings from the reduction of chemical use and wash loads, plus additional savings from water conservation. Their success in developing these new techniques has established Coyne Textile Services as a leader among their competition.

Crane & Company, Inc., Dalton, MA
Crane & Company, Inc. reduced the use of sulfuric acid by approximately 697,000 lbs and sodium hypochlorite by 576,000 lbs between 1999 and 2000, a combined reduction of about 46%. The company achieved these reductions by modifying the process chemistry for the re-pulping of off-specification papers. The sulfuric acid was replaced with an innovative liquid carbon dioxide system and the sodium hypochlorite was reduced by specifying cleaner raw materials, and by controlling the temperature and pH of the process.

Cranston Print Works, Inc., Webster, MA - Chemical Substitution Case Study
Spurred by a desire to meet the goals of the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act, the managers of Cranston Print Works altered their wastewater pH adjustment process to eliminate the use of sulfuric acid. The company installed a jet aeration system with injected liquid carbon dioxide to replace the two 4,300-gallon sumps in which wastewater neutralization had previously taken place. This $115,000 project eliminated the annual use of 2.66 million pounds of sulfuric acid. Although financial profit was not the main goal of the project, the company saved about $80,000 per year in chemical purchase and maintenance costs.

Cranston Print Works, Inc., Webster, MA - Water Conservation Case Study
Cranston Print Works Co. (CPW), an employee-owned company, achieved annual savings of over 110 million gallons of water and over $350,000 from the implementation of 25 water conservation projects. These savings are attributed to the CPW's Water Conservation Team, which was formed in response to the company's commitment to continuous quality improvement.

Crest Foam, Newburyport, MA:
Crest Foam of Newburyport, Massachusetts recently embarked on an ambitious program to eliminate the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the firm's polyurethane foam process. The company eliminated the use of 190,000 lbs./year of methylene chloride by installing an innovative foam manufacturing process called the "Cardio Process". The Cardio Process uses CO2 instead of methylene chloride or CFC-11 as the auxiliary blowing agent. By making this change, Crest Foam avoided the need to install costly air pollution control equipment or reduce its production of foam products, either of which would have threatened the long-term survival of the facility.

Delaware Valley Corp. - Tewksbury, MA
In 2006, Delaware Valley Corporation installed an air-to-air heat exchanger at their Tewksbury facility to recover
heat for both process and space heating from two of their natural gas-fired textile heat-setting ovens. It cost $27,000
to purchase and install the new system. The company expected about a one-year payback from savings in gas
related expenses. However, OTA worked with the company and identified utility
incentives available from their gas provider, which reduced the payback period to
eight months. In addition to cutting energy costs, the heat exchanger installation has
resulted in more comfortable working conditions for their employees, because the
workplace is now maintained at a constant, uniform temperature. Delaware Valley
has been so pleased with their heat recovery system that they have gone on to install
a second heat exchanger on the third oven, and are investigating the installation of
yet another at their Lawrence facility, to capture waste heat from all their ovens.
Finally, savings from the heat recovery system will be reinvested to implement
future energy related projects..

ESP Lock Products Inc., Leominster, MA
In 1994, ESP Lock Products, Inc. faced serious concerns about the effects of worker exposure to lubricating oils at its manufacturing facility. It also found itself close to exceeding its 12 ton/year permitted limit for volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. In 1997, the company replaced highly volatile lubricating oils used in making key blanks with a non-VOC lubricant derived from vegetable oil. Ultra-low volume misting units were installed to apply the new oil. These two changes completely eliminated 10.9 tons/year of VOC emissions, achieved a net savings of $20,500/year in materials purchasing cost, significantly limited worker exposure to hazardous chemicals, and freed ESP from air quality and flammable storage compliance requirements.

F.C. Meyer Company, Lawrence, MA
F.C. Meyer company, a Lawrence, Massachusetts cardboard box manufacturer and printer, has trained its employees in "good housekeeping" practices and significantly reduced ink wastes and wastewater generated when cleaning the printing presses. The improved washing practices include draining and scraping as much ink as possible before washing and minimizing the amount of water used. Most of the ink wash water is now used to dilute concentrated virgin black ink. The decrease in wash water and the reuse of ink wastewater have resulted in a 90 percent savings in waste disposal as well as reduced costs for raw materials.

Fit to Print Advertising Inc., Weymouth, MA
Fit To Print Advertising Inc. found many benefits when it converted from conventional printing processes using solvent-based inks to ultraviolet (UV) cured inks. The UV process is now used in 80% of the company's production and, as a result, Fit To Print has increased productivity, opened new markets, reduced labor-intensive cleaning processes, and achieved compliance with wastewater regulations. The company's managers say the switch to mostly UV inks resulted in a 60% reduction in the amount of solvents used in their production processes, and a 20% increase in business. Annual savings to date have amounted to nearly $25,000 and available production time has increased by 33%. Fit To Print managers directly credit the switch to UV curing with their ability to win a large contract with a leading U.S. retailer, creating the need to hire five additional staff. The company's long range plans are to convert 100% of their operations to UV cured systems, but those plans are dependent on advances in UV ink technology by manufacturers.

GKN Sinter Metals Corp., Worcester, MA
GKN Sinter Metals Corporation (formerly known as The PresMet Corporation) implemented an on-site pretreatment and recycling operation, including a Hyde ultrafiltration unit that reduced GKN's total plant fresh water consumption by over 8 million gallons per year and soap consumption by more than 6,000 gallons per year. The same pretreatment operation also resulted in the reduction of copper, fat, oil, and grease to levels below the limits established by the local publicly owned treatment works (POTW). In addition to the environmental benefits, the installation of the pretreatment system resulted in savings of over $78,000 per year.

Hampden Papers Inc., Holyoke, MA - TURA Case Study
In an ongoing effort to limit emissions and reduce use of hazardous chemicals, Hampden Papers spent four years researching, developing, testing and implementing a new coatings formulation used in over 70% of the company's manufacturing capabilities. The new formulation helps Hampden Papers reduce annual VOC emissions by 4-6 tons. More significantly, the change eliminates the use of ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and thereby frees the company from filing requirements under both the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA) and Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) Section 313.

Hampden Papers Inc., Holyoke, MA - VOC Case Study
Hampden Papers, Inc. reduced emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) by 97% by using new aqueous-based acrylics and other coating systems developed by a Massachusetts coatings manufacturer. The reduction of VOC has resulted in lower compliance costs, savings on insurance premiums, and a safer work environment. The avoidance of expenditures on VOC controls has helped Hampden to afford investments in high-quality production equipment.

Inner-Tite Corporation, Holden, MA
Inner-Tite Corporation replaced its existing parts degreasing equipment with two entirely enclosed Forenta® degreasing units. The new degreasing equipment has reduced air emissions of trichloroethylene (TCE) by 97% and will save the company over $12,000 annually in avoided chemical purchases.

InteliCoat Technologies, South Hadley, MA
InteliCoat Technologies (formerly Rexam Image Products) achieved toxics use reduction by adopting solvent free coating processes for the manufacturing of about 60% of their product line. This included the development and commercialization of both water borne and 100% solids UV-cure coating technology. Since the mid-1990's, InteliCoat Technologies has invested over $20 million on product/process development and production improvements to support this new coating technology. This investment has resulted in an 88% reduction of air emissions from volatile organic compounds (VOC) between the years 1990 and 2000. The savings from the reduction of raw materials are $1.25 million per year.

The J.M. Perrone Company, Hingham, MA
The J. M. Perrone Company, an integrated printing and direct mail marketing firm, discovered that the technology of direct Computer-to-Plate (CTP) printing eliminates the need for prepress chemistry and removes the environmental hazards and costs associated with conventional film processing. Before making the change, the company purchased and used 205 gallons of chemicals at a cost of $1,595 per year. The company also disposed of 2,730 pounds of hazardous waste at a cost of $9,469 per year. In total, the company saved over $11,000 per year in material and disposal costs, $80,000 from the elimination of silver-based film and increased efficiency in their printing process lowering production time from 2 hours to 45 minutes - an estimated savings of $31.50 per hour.

Kidde-Fenwal Inc., Ashland, MA
By updating its coating operations with 1990s technologies including computer-programmed spray applications and ultraviolet (UV) curing, Kidde-Fenwal Incorporated reduced its air emissions by 75%, eliminated 20 drums per year of flammable waste, and reduced its production cycle by an entire day. The new system, which also reduced the amount of coating used per printed circuit board by 96%, is expected to save the company $300,000 annually, providing a payback on its investment in less than one year.

Korber Hats, Fall River, MA
Korber Hats, a maker of custom straw and felt hats, has reduced emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by 80,000 pounds, 44,000 pounds of which was eliminated through process changes and chemical reformulation. The company, which was using 52,000 pounds of toluene and 17,200 pounds of methyl ethyl ketone in 1994, permanently eliminated the use of these hazardous air pollutants in 1995. Korber has successfully substituted a water-based stiffening process in its straw hat dipping operation. Once the company and its vendor reformulated a stiffener to a water-based acrylic lacquer, Korber was able to eliminate the use of a solvent thinner which consisted of 30% methyl ethyl ketone and 60% toluene. Korber worked with its supplier to analyze existing coatings and create a new formulation that would replace the solvent coating. The company has since successfully switched to an entirely water-based process with some process changes and minimal capital investment. After adjustments are made for production levels, this project has saved Korber a minimum of $36,000 annually in reduced chemical purchases and permitting costs.

Lightolier, A Division Of Genlyte, Fall River, MA
Lightolier has eliminated the use of approximately 1.25 million pounds of Trichloroethylene at their Fall River, Massachusetts plant. The company found less toxic alternatives and modified their production process, which eliminated more than 4 million pounds of air emissions, with savings of more than $2 million. The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs recently recognized Lightolier's achievements at their Fall River facility.

Novacor Chemicals, Inc., Indian Orchard, MA
The U.S.-based polystyrene division of Novacor Chemicals, Inc. updated the equipment of their monomer storage and handling facility in order to demonstrate the company' s environmental awareness and to reduce overall potential liability. This project eliminated the volatile hydrocarbon emissions that previously emanated from the monomer storage tanks, spelling a 50% reduction in the facility's overall emissions. The change also reduced the risks of fire and groundwater contamination, while eliminating the potential liability associated with collapse of the aged tanks previously in use.

Olympic Manufacturing, Agawam, MA (Now OMG, Inc.)
By installing a recycling system for the coolant used on their roll threading machines, Olympic Manufacturing was able to reduce coolant disposal by 75% and solid waste disposal by approximately 88%. Prior to installation and operation of this recycling system, Olympic was discarding machining coolant after two days of use, generating roughly 600 gallons of waste coolant and two 55-gallon barrels of solid waste each week. The reduction in waste saved the company about $38,000 annually.

Poly-Plating, Chicopee, MA
Poly-Plating designed and installed integral repurification equipment, which filters, recycles and concentrates wastes for reclamation. This equipment reduced acid purchases to 1% of 1989 levels. Reclaiming and recycling has cut disposal costs by 98%. Additionally, water use has been reduced to 880 gallons per day, down from 78,000 gallons per day.

Seaman Paper Company, Otter River, MA
Seaman Paper Company is a leader in resource conservation that has significantly reduced energy use and fuel consumption over the last 10 years by making changes to its operations. The company implemented an energy conservation program that reduced electricity use by 2.6 million kilowatt hours (kWh) per year and oil use by nearly 1.7 million gallons per year. In addition, Seaman is installing a backpressure steam turbine/generator, which will enable the cogeneration of electricity and process steam and lead to further energy savings. All of these changes have saved Seaman Paper more than $1.5 million in yearly operating costs.

Smith & Wesson, Springfield, MA
Smith and Wesson implemented process changes to reduce the use of l,1,1-Trichloroethane (TCA) in its cold degreasing operations. The installation of agitating parts washers and drum top washers which use an aqueous solution has eliminated the use of TCA and saves the firm at least $6,870 annually.

Testing Laboratory
Under a compliance mandate from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), a 250-employee testing laboratory reduced its mercury discharges from 0.3 mg/L to less than 0.001 mg/L. This reduction was achieved through a two-pronged approach: source reduction techniques were used to reduce the amount of mercury entering the company's wastewater treatment system by approximately 90%; a more sophisticated treatment system was then installed to remove the residual mercury. The changes permitted the company to meet mercury emissions standards several months ahead of MWRA's compliance deadline. The Office of Technical Assistance and Technology (OTA) provided confidential help with the project.

The Robbins Company. Attleboro, MA
By refining its manufacturing operations over a number of years, the Robbins Company eliminated or significantly reduced all chemicals previously reported for the Massachusetts TURA Form S and the EPA's Form R. Robbins' ongoing commitment to continuous improvement has helped to foster an environment open to progressive ideas and new technologies. In 1987, the company replaced its traditional wastewater treatment system with a state-of-the-art closed-loop ion exchange system. In 1994, Robbins updated and refined this process by replacing the ion exchange equipment with a reverse osmosis system that uses minimal quantities of maintenance chemicals and produces less waste. To eliminate the use of chlorinated solvents, Robbins switched in 1993 to a closed-loop aqueous cleaning system. The new system uses ultrafiltration to recycle and extend the life of cleaning baths by 300%, reducing costs associated with the purchase and disposal of the cleaner. Further, to eliminate the use of dissociated ammonia in annealing ovens, the company converted to a system that blends hydrogen and nitrogen gases. The ovens' noncontact cooling water, which was once discharged to the sewer, is now chilled and recirculated back to the process. Since 1986, through these changes and other toxics use reduction strategies, Robbins has reduced chemical use in wastewater treatment by 99%, reduced hazardous waste generation by 99% and cut water use by 98.5%. All told, these reductions have created an annual savings of more than $100,000, and the company no longer has to report chemical usage under TURA or chemical releases under EPCRA.

Tubed Products, Easthampton, MA (Now Berry-Tubed Products)
In the early 1970s, Tubed Products, Inc., of Easthampton, Massachusetts, introduced production changes to allow the use of 100 % solids ultraviolet curable inks to decorate plastic squeeze tubes. Approximately five years later the technology to cure epoxy coatings for the tubes became available, enabling the company to convert to ultraviolet curing in all decorating and coating operations. This means that inks and coatings no longer need to be dried by heat-evaporation of solvents, and thus toxic solvents are no longer evaporated off into the surrounding environment. These changes have also resulted in increased line speeds, energy savings and more economical use of floor space.

V.H. Blackinton & Co., North Attleboro, MA
In the early 1990's V.H. Blackinton began a continuous improvement program to reduce chemical use and eliminate certain hazardous chemicals. By engaging company employees and working with vendors, along with the help of the Office of Technical Assistance (OTA), V.H. Blackinton eliminated the use of ozone depleting Freon, trichloroethylene (TCE), ammonia, and volatile organic compounds (VOC). The company made substantial investments to modernize their plating and finishing operations, leading to significant reductions in water use and in the use of acids and bases in waste treatment and plating operations. As a result, V.H. Blackinton is no longer required to report under the Toxic Use Reduction Act (TURA) and have closed the loop on their wastewater discharge.