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Our Commitment
Environmental Stewardship
Renewable Raw Materials
Green Chemistry
Greener Alternatives for
Customers
Water
Management Programs
Environmental Performance
A Greener Mindset
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Environmental Stewardship
Many Shades of Green
What does Environmental Stewardship
mean to Hercules? It means taking thoughtful and deliberate actions
that have a beneficial impact on the environment. And it all starts
with our unique brand of chemistry—from the many
renewable raw materials we use to the
influential role our products play in improving the
environmental performance of our customers.
Our stewardship is evident in our
commitment to the chemical industry's
Responsible Care initiative and to our products, both in terms of
performance and their effect on the environment. We consider the impact of
our
products while still in development, and this
green thinking carries over into commercialization, product
use and recycling or disposal. Throughout the lifecycle of our
products, we focus on the health and safety of people and the protection
of our environment.
Just as environmental awareness has grown around the world in recent decades,
so have our awareness and
stewardship efforts--and they continue to evolve. We have made significant progress in
addressing legacy environmental issues from our nearly 100 years of
operations. In addition, we are reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by making our manufacturing facilities considerably
more energy efficient.
On June 26, 2007 at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.,
Hercules received the
2007 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award
from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This
honor resulted from our role in the development and commercial application of a
formaldehyde-free adhesive made from soy flour and a unique polymer
chemistry from Hercules.
In July 2007, we formed a joint venture with Heartland Resource Technologies
to accelerate the development of this innovative adhesive technology, known
as Soyad adhesive systems.
Hercules has evolved through the years, both from an environmental
perspective and as a company. Today, Hercules manufactures and markets chemical
specialties for a variety of products used every day in the home, at the
office, and in industrial markets. Our two primary businesses—Aqualon, and
Paper Technologies and Ventures (PTV)—largely use renewable raw materials,
and many of their products improve their customers’ environmental profile in
addition to offering beneficial advantages in end-use applications and
markets.
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The majority of Aqualon's products are
derived from natural materials, such as cellulose or other renewable
resources, and provide a number of environmental advantages.
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PTV focuses its environmental efforts on
developing greener alternatives for
customers and helping them improve their own
environmental stewardship. Often, PTV attains both goals at once,
using green chemistry to develop more environmentally friendly products that
also help paper mills improve their performance.
Hercules takes a broad and far-reaching
perspective on environmental stewardship, encompassing what goes into our
products, the green benefits they provide to customers and consumers, the
safe management of products over their lifecycle, and the impact our
worldwide operations and manufacturing facilities have on the environment.
Learn more about the
many shades of green in our
renewable raw materials, the
greener alternatives we provide for
customers, our overall
environmental performance, and our
greener mindset.
The photo on this page was 1st place
winner in our annual employee photography contest for the
Hercules 2008 Environmental Calendar. These calendars are designed to
reinforce our commitment to global stewardship.
 
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