Providing Environmentally Friendly Products is Not Just the Right Thing to do, It’s the Law
The Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act (S. 3874) was signed into law on January 4, 2011. This act comes after the very successful 2006 California law (A. B. 1953), which requires manufacturers to phase out potential exposure from materials in drinking water applications by 2010. The new Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act strengthens and clarifies national standards for drinking water. With implementation of this new law just 36 months away, lead-free plumbing is fast becoming the standard across the nation for plumbing products.
Concast Metals Products — On the Forefront of Being Green
For over 15 years, one company continues to stay ahead of the curve by manufacturing environmentally friendly materials with extremely low lead content, often as low as .05%. Concast Metal Products Co. started producing lead-free copper alloys back in 1993—naming them GreenAlloys™. Al Barbour, president and CEO, saw green products becoming a long-term consumer trend. “Progressive companies recognize that consumers are demanding eco-friendly products,” he explains. “This is why we decided to partner with Federal Metals, in 1993, [to] become the only domestic foundry licensed to produce the Federalloy® series of lead-free copper alloys.”
Founded in 1891 in Mars, Pennsylvania USA, Concast has grown into an industry leader as a single-source supplier built on strength and stability. Concast is leading the way with environmental regulatory responsibility by manufacturing a wide selection of low-lead and lead-free alloys. Ranging from aluminum bronze to high tin bronze, GreenAlloys™ are manufactured to ASTM B standards and specifications. With products that contain lead content as low as .05%, Concast delivers a broad range of alloys that are free of the elements that threaten health and the environment.
The Green initiative is present in nearly every industry especially plumbing. New regulations are requiring plumbing industry manufacturers to explore material alternatives beyond the traditional leaded brass for producing these products. GreenAlloys™ are an excellent option for plumbing manufacturers because of their exceptional quality and selection. “While lead is replaced by other elements, the product [GreenAlloys™ ] still offers lubricity, tightness, wear, strength, hardness and machinability,” explains Barbour. Also, “you can choose from a number of product GreenAlloys™ lines for your regulatory compliant material needs including: Eco Brass®, Federalloy®, Standard GreenAlloys™ and custom alloys” he adds. Also, these environmentally friendly alloys are available in solid, tube, rectangular, hex and shapes to fit your application-specific needs.
Recycling Makes Good Economical Sense
As more and more consumers are asking for environmentally friendly products, a huge benefit in today’s marketplace is the amount of recycled content within products. Thirty of Concast’s alloys are certified as recycled content by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), a recognized independent third-party certifier. SCS is a global leader in the independent certification of environmental, sustainability, food quality and food purity claims. For more than 25 years, SCS has developed internationally recognized standards and certification programs in pursuit of the highest level of environmental performance and social accountability.
Concast is the only continuous cast metals manufacturer with products certified as recycled content by the SCS. Using Concast certified alloys in a product or project qualifies for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) MR 4.2 credits through the U.S. Green Building Council.
The certification from SCS “provides third-party proof to our customers that our finished products are made from recycled content,” says Barbour. Also, “the end users of our products benefit by using the certification to earn LEED points, which is important as we continue to see a rise in LEED certified projects.” Al Barbour continues by saying “we’ve used recycled materials in our products for over 20 years. In the beginning it was simply good business sense. Today, it’s good environmental sense.”
Concast meets exacting standards by tracking each order through the entire manufacturing process. Every step of the process is documented and each product is bar-coded to ensure traceability. As an ISO 9001 certified manufacturer, Concast continues to exceed market and industry demand for greater diversity, higher quality and more eco-friendly products.
GreenAlloys™ have a proven track record for quality and they are available now. These lead-free alloys are recognized by the plumbing and water-handling industries as products of choice to ensure compliance with standards as well as a safer and healthier water supply. Many are available for immediate shipment. Concast maintains the largest inventory of standard stock, continuous-cast alloys in North America with more than 875 standard product sizes in a 50,000 square-foot warehouse.
As the green movement continues to grow, more companies are diversifying their lines by adding environmentally friendly products. Environmental regulatory responsibility is no longer simply a consumer request, but the law. Concast is leading the way and “is proud to be a part of a global effort to provide products that meet high standards” says Barbour. “The green movement is a long-term trend and we will continue to be at its forefront.”