Sika's commitment
to our environment...
Low VOC. Zero VOC. Green.
These buzzwords are streaming the covers of industry publications and steering a number of new product developments...
At one time segmented to areas with habitant health considerations—such as hospitals, schools and office spaces,—low VOC formulations are now being fueled by government mandates and by voluntary groups such as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). See also: "Green: It's Gaining Points."
A matter of mandate.
VOC emission regulations were established through the Architectural Industrial Maintenance (AIM) Rule as part of the EPA’s Clean Air Act. Because of special environmental concerns, California along with a group of East Coast states that comprise the Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) have implemented standards even more stringent than those outlined in the EPA’s original AIM Rule.
Updated December, 2007:
| REGULATIONS for AIM
Coatings (Architectural Industrial Maintenance) |
Industrial Coatings |
Wood Varnish |
California's South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) |
100 g/L |
275 g/L |
Includes heavily populated areas of CALIFORNIA's Orange County & portions of L.A., Riverside & San Bernardino Counties |
||
California Air Resource Bourd (CARB) |
250 g/L |
350 g/L |
Excludes areas under SCAQMD rule, above View full statement of CARB VOC limits
|
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Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) |
340 g/L |
350 g/L |
Includes Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania Includes following Virginia Connecticut set to adopt rule, effective 5/1/2008 Rhode Island and Massachusetts set to tentatively adopt rule January 1, 2009 |
||
Lake Michigan Air Directors Consortium |
340 g/L |
350 g/L |
Effective July, 2008: Michigan Effective January 2009:Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and |
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US EPA Clean Air Act (CAA) AIM Rule |
450 g/L |
450 g/L* |
All remaining states/regions in US Exceedance fees for VOCs between 451 and 900 g/L. * Effective Jan 2009: |
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Canada AIM Rule |
350 g/L
|
|
Products exceeding 350 g/L that have been manufactured and shipped to Canada prior to January, 2009 will be saleable under "sell through" exclusion rules |
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Connecting to the market.
Even with these industry drivers, some consumers and facility owners are still uncertain how VOCs (volatile organic compounds) affect them.
- First, this is an active step in the long-term preservation of our environment.
- Plus, owners and installers reap the immediate benefit of building materials that produce minimal to no outgassing and that can be installed while a facility maintains business as usual.
Sika Industrial Flooring is pleased to offer a number of low VOC epoxy and urethane coatings & resurfacers that comply with VOC regulations and that help contribute to Green building efforts. As you browse this site, simply look for the following logo:
Please Note: This information is provided as reference only, and indicates information collected at time of publishing. VOC requirements are subject to change by the agency with jurisdiction in a specific regulated area.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
GREEN TODAY articles published in our past newsletters:-
Green: It's Gaining Points.
November, 2005 — The US Green Building Council has designated a rating system, known as LEED standards, for various building categories. - EnviroUltra WBU Coating. April, 2006 — High performance, low VOC coating for floor & wall applications