Detroit, Michigan, -- InfiChem Polymers of Sterling Heights, Michigan, has won the 2010 Environmental Achievement Award of the Environmental Management Association (EMA).
The announcement was made by EMA president, Larry Russette, at the EMA's annual banquet held at the Detroit Athletic Club.
InfiChem Polymers gained the award for its development of a process to polyurethane foam typically found in vehicles that would normally be put in landfill after the life of the car is over.
"InfiChem has capitalised on their unique chemical recycling process to create their line of InfiGreen Polyols for a wide variety of industrial and commercial use, including its use in the seats of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee," said Russette.
Accepting the award, Gerald Winslow, vice president of InfiChem Polymers said, "This is an important recognition and validation of our hard work to recycle a product that unnecessarily consumes too much landfill space. Our proprietary process turns scrapped foam waste into new products that you can and will see being used for seating foams, vehicle trim, foam insulation, rigid foams for foundation raising, and the construction industries."
Every year, the manufacturing and chemical industries produce about one-billion pounds (453 kilotonnes) of post-industrial scrap foam. Part of that foam is 360 million pounds of polyurethane seating produced by the North American automotive industry.
InfiChem said its InfiGreen polyols provide enhanced reactivity and flame retardance compared to conventional polyether polyols. They are developed with over 60 percent of the feedstock coming from scrap polyurethane foam, and the company said this is "raising the bar" about what it means to be a "green" product.
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