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demonstrated that strong environmental, health and safety programs are linked to higher employee productivity, morale and job satisfaction as well as lower turnover. "When you switch to an aqueous cleaning system, you're not exposing your workers to a hazardous solvent anymore," says Jason Marshall, laboratory director for the Toxics Use Reduction Institute's cleaning laboratory in Lowell, Massachusetts. "Their stress levels will be a lot lower. Their PPE requirements will be a lot less. They're going to feel a lot of the psychosocial benefits [of safety] that you really can't put a price tag on." Even harder to quantify, but no less important, is the business value of investing in technology that supports work- place safety and environmental stewardship. As investors, customers and suppliers are placing an increasingly higher premium on environmental-friendly business practices. Maintaining a robust safety and sustainability program can be a competitive advantage. No Longer a Niche Aqueous cleaning has evolved into a mainstream technology over the past two decades. Walter Surface Technologies, whose product portfolio includes bio-remediating and bio-renewable cleaning liquids and parts washers, now operates in seven countries. "Green cleaning isn't a niche anymore," LaPointe says. "We're not talking about the early stages of technology here. This is mainstream, and more and more companies are adopting this technology as it's proven to be a reliable, safe and cost-effective method to clean parts." As regulators and corporations ratchet up expectations for safety and sustainability, the role of the EH&S; leader will continue to grow in importance. Here are steps they can take to make an immediate positive impact with aqueous solutions: • Evaluate MRO and/or production processes and consider all of the dangerous chemicals that can be replaced with nontoxic, VOC-free solutions. • Find a supplier that can help conduct a chemical audit to estimate the total cost (or cost improvements) of replacing existing solvents with sustainable solutions. • Pilot-test sustainable, aqueous-based solutions in one location to measure effectiveness and real-world cost reductions. • Deploy solutions across the entire organization. • Become an advocate for sustainability—upstream to suppliers and downstream to customers—demonstrating that the organization "walks the talk." • Document the use case and demonstrate the cost savings and contribution to profitability to build support for further sustainability and safety initiatives. For more information about Bio-Circle from Walter Surface Technologies, call 860-298-1100 or visit biocircle.com. PRODUCTS FINISHING — PFonline.com 27 THE VOICE OF FINISHING 80 YEARS PARTS CLEANING