By Louis Iannaco
Unless you’ve been buried in a cave for the last few years, you undoubtedly have read about the green movement and just how crucial it has become from a global perspective. Although there is still much work to be done, the flooring industry can pat itself on the back for taking a leadership role in this field.

To that end, nowhere has the green issue been taken more seriously than in the adhesives segment, where environmental friendliness was in practice long before being green became en vogue.

Jeff Leone, director of strategic marketing for Mapei, noted the company’s reputation is built on a global network of research that allows it to address customers’ needs locally with innovative products. “In addition to Mapei’s concentration on top product performance in the field, the company also looks at the green characteristics of each product it develops, producing materials that are compliant with standards for volatile organic compounds (VOCs),” he said. “Whenever possible, recycled materials are used, and products are manufactured using regional materials.”

Leone noted that Mapei has also begun developing products with its Dust-Free Technology, used in the company’s most popular mortar, Ultraflex 2. “This lowers the levels of particulates in the air by as much as 90% during pouring, mixing and use,” he said. “Leading-edge research and development, continuous innovation, total solutions and a decidedly green attitude make Mapei technology you can build on.”

Mapei isn’t the only one. John Lio, marketing manager for DriTac, said the company has had a green focus for a number of years. “DriTac 7500 Eco-Urethane, a moisture cure urethane adhesive, offers zero VOCs and zero solvents, which makes it a very unique and innovative product that has become the premier wood flooring glue in the market today.”

Overall, DriTac offers a family of green adhesives and installation products for the wood flooring industry. “This family of green products includes three adhesives, a concrete moisture sealer, an engineered repair kit and a urethane adhesive remover. All these products contain zero VOCs as well as zero solvents.”

DriTac recognizes the importance of the green movement. “We are actively working with architects, builders and developers to address this market need,” Lio added. “Our customers can rely on DriTac’s experience to provide them with high-quality, environmentally friendly adhesives and installation products for their wood flooring installations.”

AAT’s latest initiative includes the introduction of two new brands, Ecologix and its Problem Solver Trition series. “The Ecologix brand is focused on pushing the VOC emissions envelope to zero while offering the flooring contractor real performance enhancements,” said Greg Wood, president. “Our first product in the line is our E2 (think E squared), a zero VOC premium hardwood flooring adhesive. Our second new brand, Triton, involves new technologies in adhesive formulating and packaging. We offer the contractor extreme performance adhesives with a green edge—the products offer elevated moisture emission and pH resistance, allowing for the use of fewer resources/raw materials, and zero VOCs.”

Then there are companies such as Bostik, which is attempting to convey as much information as possible. “Our LEED Compliant Products sell sheet is a great tool to communicate all our flooring installation products that meet or exceed the LEED standard associated with the category,” said Christine Krisko, marketing communications manager. “And our Low-VOC Product Portfolio brochure is helpful to architects and owners required to provide validation from manufacturers of a product’s VOC compliance with the standard. These documents can be obtained directly from Bostik in the quantities needed to distribute to your customer base or can be viewed and downloaded from our newly expanded bostikus.com Web site.”

Speaking of the Web, Bostik has expanded its Web site and improved upon its green section with a link called Bostik’s Green Initiative. “This can be accessed directly via the Web link, greenmission.bostikus.com, or by way of several links on our existing site, bostikus.com,” Krisko said. “Here you will find all the aforementioned collateral available for download and the relevant LEED information necessary to stay informed on this topic as well as view what new green products Bostik is featuring.”

At Para-Chem, the focus is on constantly improving its products through R&D, noted Sonny Callaham, flooring application specialist. “One way to do this is, to evaluate raw materials that have a lesser impact on the environment while still achieving the highest quality levels. We strive to meet and exceed the high standards set forth by the United States Green Building Council and provide products to our customers that will contribute to LEED points on LEED specific projects.

“One specific way we have done this is,” he explained, “by using polypropylene pails and handles on our four-gallon pails. This eliminates hundreds of thousands of pounds of waste in landfills and reduces the weight of the material when shipped. The polypropylene in our pails and the handles can be recycled and reused reducing more waste in our landfills.”

Para-Chem is also focusing on freight and ways to reduce unnecessary emissions from the transportation companies it uses. “We look for ways to combine shipments and products to conserve energy. “Our Millennium Series, Fusion Series and Signature Series Adhesives are all VOC and SCAQMD 1168 compliant,” he added. “With the exceptions of a one or two of our specialty products, they are all Green Label Plus Certified. These products contain no solvents and all of our adhesives are Formaldehyde free and contain no hazardous materials as defined by OSHA 29 CFR 1940.1200.

“At Para-Chem,” Callaham concluded, “we also offer programs to help our customers be as green as possible. By using Parabond patching and surface preparation products in conjunction with our adhesives and sundry materials, we can direct ship to the job-site or the customer directly to minimize the carbon footprint of installation.”