From Spandex™ to Speedos™, chemistry is a part of everyday life.

Catalyst
THE MAGAZINE OF CANADA’S
CHEMICAL PRODUCERS
Summer 2008
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Chemistry Inspired By Nature
Responsible Care®:
The Next Generation
The Prince Rupert
Transpacific Trade Corridor
From Spandex™ to Speedos™, chemistry is a part of everyday life.
Life is a delicate balance…
Imperial opened land on a former refinery site in Mississauga, Ontario, to help complete a
public trail along the shore of Lake Ontario.
When we manufacture and sell our products, we work to avoid
upsetting that balance. It’s part of the Responsible Care initiative. It
includes our commitment to develop products that minimize risk to
people and to educate them on their use. Energy and petrochemicals
are essential to economic growth; however their production and
consumption need not conflict with protecting health and safety or with
safeguarding the environment.
CHEMICAL
ISO 9000/14000
Responsible Care®
Beyond what’s required.
*Trademarks of Imperial Oil Limited. Imperial Oil, licensee. ®Trademark of the Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association. Used under license by Imperial Oil.
Sustainable development is our future.
Our research is directed toward renewable chemical resources.
XXX
Xxx
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CCPA
Editor
Michael Bourque
Vice President, Public Affairs
Assistant Editor
Nancy Marchi
Public Affairs Co-ordinator
President & CEO
Richard Paton
Association Office
Canadian Chemical Producers’
Association
805-350 Sparks Street
Ottawa, ON K1R 7S8
Tel.: (613) 237-6215
Fax: (613) 237-4061
Web site: www.ccpa.ca
Contents
volume 5, number 2, SUMMER 2008
FEATURES
9
If we are serious about reducing pollution and
greenhouse gases, we have to focus on the output,
not on the inputs.
By Peter E.J. Wells
NAYLOR
Publisher
Elena Langlois
Editor
Heather McCole
Project Manager
Alana Place
12
Book Leader
Robert Bartmanovich
15
Layout & Design
Bill Kitson
Editorial Office
Copyright by the CCPA. All rights
reserved. The views expressed in this
magazine do not necessarily reflect
those of the publisher or the CCPA.
The contents of this publication may
not be reproduced by any means, in
whole or in part, without the prior
consent of the association.
Published June 2008
CDC-Q0208/7237
12
COLUMNS
6
Naylor (Canada), Inc.
2 Bloor Street West, Suite 2001
Toronto, ON M4W 3E2
Tel: (416) 961-1028
Fax: (416) 924-4408
Catalyst is published four times
per year by Naylor (Canada),
Inc. for the Canadian Chemical
Producers’ Association (CCPA). The
CCPA represents over 70 chemical
manufacturers, which collectively
produce more than 90 per cent of all
chemicals in Canada. Responsible
Care®, an initiative of Canada’s
Chemical Producers, is an ethic for
the safe and environmentally sound
management of chemicals throughout
their life cycle. Invented in Canada,
Responsible Care is now practiced in
47 countries.
Responsible Care®: The Next
Generation
Responsible Care demonstrates a basic robustness
that makes it adaptable to changing times and
circumstances.
By Francis Gillis
Research
Lauren Williams
Advertising Art
Reanne Dawson
Port of Prince Rupert Anchors New
Transpacific Trade Corridor
In British Columbia, the Prince Rupert Port
Authority is revolutionizing North American
shipping and distribution at its world-class port.
By Harvey F. Chartrand
Sales Manager
Bill McDougall
Sales Representatives
Davin Commandeur, Wayne Jury,
Matt Offer, Cheryll Oland,
Dawn Stokes, Blair Van Camp,
Norma Walchuk
It Takes More Than Trees to Make
a Forest
Edifications
By Michael Bourque
7
Responsible Care®
The New Responsible Care® Ethic & Principles
For Sustainability
By Brian Wastle
18
DEPARTMENTS
18
Product Profile
Ecoflex®: Chemistry Inspired By Nature
By Martine Despatie
20 Award Announcements
Canadian Pacific’s Chemical Shipper Safety
Award; Quebec Civil Security Award
21
22
Buyers’ Guide and Index to
Advertisers
Fun Facts
Speed On In Your Speedos; Buildings: The
Future Is Plastic
22
Cover photo: ©iStockphoto
Canadian Publications
Mail Agreement #40064978
Postage Paid at Winnipeg
Catalyst Summer 2008 • 5
Edifications
TIME TO GET BACK
ON COURSE
By Michael Bourque
AS PART OF AN initiative called “Canada
First,” the Canadian Council of Chief
Executives made a bold statement. “In
political terms,” they said, “Canada today
is a nation adrift.”
Along with the bold statement, Gwyn
Morgan said, “It is time to develop a
renewed sense of national purpose and
direction.” Is it time to heed this advice?
Canada is faced with tremendous
challenges at the same time that it is
experiencing unprecedented growth and
opportunity. Our traditional industries
such as forestry have stalled, while oil
production can’t keep up with demand.
Some manufacturers have evolved by outsourcing to India and China, while others have become extinct. Meanwhile, our
transportation infrastructure has been
tested by a combination of aging infrastructure and border issues on one hand
and tremendous growth from imports
and container traffic on the other.
This might sound like chaos, but it
could be our window of opportunity. Fred
Green, President of Canadian Pacific, said
there is an “urgent need for Canadians to
work together with vision and purpose to
create the efficient and secure transportation networks and gateways that are vital
to Canada’s economic productivity and
competitiveness.”
Getting back on course will be hard
work. For example, since September 11,
there has been an increase in security at
the border and new programs that the
industry must comply with. Bill C-43
would make it that much more onerous
to cross the border – be it by truck or rail.
Canada has always been an exporting nation. We have enormous riches in
our natural resources and the world has
an insatiable appetite for them. Lately,
there has been a debate about the “hollowing out” of Canadian companies and
a grave concern for foreign ownership.
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6 • Catalyst Summer 2008
279966_Rohm.indd 1
4/11/06 11:15:09 AM
But this is looking at the symptoms, not
the problem.
Customers want access to our resources and are desperate for ways to secure
their share. As owners of these resources,
it’s in our interest to satisfy our customers.
Not by giving them the keys, but by rolling out the welcome mat. In other words,
we need to ensure that we are able to
deliver on the demand in ways that benefit Canadians over the long term.
We need to exploit our resources in
a sustainable way. This means developing our resource-based industries so that
we add value to our raw materials here
in Canada and then use our tremendous
access to markets in North America and
globally to deliver them. To be sustainable, our national goal should be to create the most environmentally friendly
resource, up-grading industries right here
in Canada and to combine them with
the most efficient delivery infrastructure
in the world.
A Kline and Company study, currently underway for the Alberta government,
has identified the opportunity to create
chemical products from oil sands. These
products would add four times the value
per barrel of oil and would result in sales
of US$25 billion. The study is still ongoing, but major challenges were identified
including “weak infrastructure to reach
markets; electricity and energy costs; and
lack of clear vision and path forward.”
Bitumen is but one example – if we can
harness our natural resources with our
vast transportation and logistics networks
and ingenuity, we can be world leaders.
Getting back on course is a national
challenge – where we will need to reach
consensus as we did during the Free Trade
decision. We are overdue. A
Michael Bourque is Vice-President,
Public Affairs, Canadian Chemical
Producers’ Association. He can be reached
at [email protected].
Responsible Care®
THE NEW RESPONSIBLE
CARE® ETHIC &
PRINCIPLES FOR
SUSTAINABILITY
By Brian Wastle
TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO, when the
leaders of CCPA’s member companies
began their Responsible Care journey,
they saw as mission-critical the need
for a radical shift in the ethic, or belief
system, of our industry. Their “licence
to operate” was in real and present
THE RESPONSIBLE CARE® ETHIC & PRINCIPLES FOR
SUSTAINABILITY
(DRAFT)
We are committed to do the right thing, and be seen to do the right
thing.
We dedicate ourselves, our technology and our business practices
to sustainability – the betterment of society, the environment and the
economy. The principles of Responsible Care are key to our business
success, and compel us to:
• work for the improvement of people’s lives and the environment,
while striving to do no harm;
• be accountable and responsive to the public, especially our local
communities, that have the right to understand the risks and benefits of what we do;
• exercise precaution in all we do;
• innovate for products and processes that are inherently safer, conserve resources and provide enhanced value;
• engage with our business partners to ensure the stewardship and
security of our products, services and raw materials throughout their
lifecycles;
• understand and meet expectations for social responsibility;
• work with all stakeholders for public policy and standards that
enhance sustainability, act to advance legal requirements and meet
or exceed their letter and spirit;
• promote awareness of Responsible Care, and inspire others to commit to these principles.
danger of being revoked if they clung
to a credo that continued to evoke
public distrust and fear.
Company lawyers were initially
aghast at the leaders’ new commitment
to this ethic of “do the right thing, and
be seen to do the right thing,” guided by principles of openness, public
accountability, precaution, lifecycle
stewardship, exceeding requirements
and constructively engaging in public
policy advancement with governments
and our critics.
Pretty revolutionary stuff for the
1980s in Canada. Unthinkable in
many other countries.
Amazingly, this ethic has prevailed
and has spread to the chemical industry in 53 countries around the world.
Some might say it has become the new
norm.
This has the current leaders of the
Canadian chemical industry wondering if the Responsible Care ethic
needs to move to even higher ground.
Is Responsible Care up to the task of
guiding the industry to adequately
address society’s increasingly dominant concerns such as health, climate
change, water supply and globalization? Do we need to rethink how we
can be, and be seen as, contributors to
sustainability rather than its enemies
– providers of solutions rather than
compounders of problems?
The answer is “yes.”
The sustainability of the Canadian
industry is also under threat. InvestCatalyst Summer 2008 • 7
ments have significantly shifted to
the Middle East, India and China.
Chemical imports to Canada and the
U.S. from these regions are growing at
the expense of domestic production.
Economies of scale can work against
our generally smaller Canadian production facilities. Our previous feedstock and energy availability and cost
advantages are eroding. Public policy
does not always encourage investment
here.
Do we need to work together under
Responsible Care to find innovative
ways of meeting these challenges and
turning them into opportunities?
The answer is “yes.”
After several soul-searching meetings last fall involving the CCPA
Board, membership, activist panel and
various committees, as well as sustainability experts, we have concluded that
Responsible Care must indeed move
to a higher level to better address both
aspects of sustainability.
We’re starting with the ethic and
guiding principles. Subsequently, revisions and additions to the current
8•
Catalyst Summer 2008
314494_nova.indd 1
Responsible Care policies, codes of
practice and our public-peer verification process will likely also be needed,
but these must flow from the ethic
and principles – truly an evolutionary
process.
It has been agreed that any new
principles, or rewording of existing
ones, must drive behaviour change
and lead to measurable outcomes.
They should be inspiring and seen as
leading-edge.
Some aspects of sustainability that
emerged as possible additions in a new
version of the ethic statement include:
• sustainable or green chemistry;
• reduction in footprint of operations and products;
• precautionary principle;
• solutions to sustainability
challenges;
• security;
• innovation;
• economic contribution;
• social responsibility; and
• proactive improvement of public
policy.
It has also been agreed that we will
maintain the ethic statement “do the
right thing, and be seen to do the right
thing,” as well as the essence of the
current principles related to lifecycle
stewardship, accountability, safety,
respect and continuous improvement.
The new “Responsible Care® Ethic
& Principles for Sustainability,” which
has resulted from several rounds of
discussion on earlier drafts by CCPA’s
Leadership Groups, National Advisory
Panel, policy committees and Board of
Directors, appears in the accompanying sidebar. It was endorsed by the
Board on Feb. 27, 2008, and subject to
any last-minute critical feedback from
any of our stakeholders, it is expected
to be approved and signed by each
CCPA Board member in June 2008.
Editor’s Note: Although by the
time you read this, the final version of
the new Principles will likely have been
approved, the author would love to hear
your thoughts. – [email protected] A
Br i a n Wa st l e i s Vi ce-Pre s i d e nt,
Responsible Care, for the Canadian
Chemical Producers’ Association.
2/15/07 10:32:42 AM
Featured Guest
IT TAKES MORE THAN
TREES TO MAKE A FOREST
By Peter E.J. Wells
If we are serious about reducing pollution and
greenhouse gases, we have to focus on the
output, not on the inputs.
WE ALL KNOW the folk saying, “Can’t see the forest for the trees,” and its warning
that a focus on the details may obscure the big picture. Yet, our approach to date in
seeking solutions to the growing emissions of greenhouse gases and their impact on
the environment and climate has been characterized by individual changes instead
of a comprehensive series of changes that contribute to the reduction of greenhouse
gases. We can no more expect to turn the tide on climate change and environmental degradation through piecemeal measures than we could expect to create a
healthy forest in our backyard by randomly planting trees chosen without regard to
the soil, climate or needs of the animals that would make that forest home.
We have to start thinking of life on earth as a single complex process in which
every activity impacts on everything else. A cottager in Muskoka on a muggy July
afternoon notices that the birch trees on his property aren’t looking very healthy,
so he decides that he will take a sample
branch into the garden centre the next
day to see what to do. At dinnertime
Our approach to date in seeking solutions to the
he goes into the cottage and without
growing emissions of greenhouse gases and their impact thinking turns on the air conditioner.
Since dinnertime on a muggy summer’s day is a time of peak electricity
on the environment and climate has been characterized
demand, even with every power plant
in the province including the coalby individual changes instead of a comprehensive
fired plants generating at capacity, the
province can’t meet its needs. The sysseries of changes that contribute to the reduction of
tem brings in power from Ohio, where
more coal-fired plants generate acid
greenhouse gases.
gases to make the electricity running
his air conditioner. The next morning
at the garden centre the cottager is shocked to learn that his birch trees are stressed
because the soil has been acidified by the rain and that the coal burning in southern Ontario and Ohio are the primary contributors.
Green Traps
Normally, a chemist developing a process would perform both a mass balance
and energy balance and aim to optimize the process so as to obtain the greatest
amount of product for the least amount of starting material and energy possible.
On a commercial scale, factories in a particular industry cluster together so that
Catalyst Summer 2008 • 9
the by-products of one process can be
used as feedstock for others. This can
be seen in Sarnia’s Chemical Valley
and Alberta’s Fort Saskatchewan. Our
failure to perform such an analysis on
the overall use of materials and energy
in Canada and around the world has
led us to devote large sums of capital
to potential dead ends in searching for
alternate clean sources of energy.
One such example is hydrogen.
On a commercial scale, hydrogen is
not available directly as a fuel. It is
made either by chemical reactions or
by hydrolysis of water. In both cases
the energy in the hydrogen represents
the chemical energy in the starting
materials and the energy input during
the reaction. Consequently, hydrogen
is not a really a fuel but an energy storage medium. While water vapour may
be all that comes out of a hydrogenpowered car, almost certainly hundreds of miles away carbon dioxide
and acid gases were generated to make
that hydrogen. The same is true of
plug-in electric cars. Both approaches
are more akin to sweeping the dust
10380026_Sentry.indd
• Catalyst Summer
2008
1
under the carpet than they are to a
real cleaning.
More recently, we have begun to see
the impact of the push to use ethanol
from corn and other grains as a fuel
for automobiles. In two years, the story
has moved from the pages of journals
such as Nature, to magazines such as
Scientific American and now to the
front page of The Toronto Star. While
the rate of emission of carbon dioxide
has not slowed appreciably, the price
of corn has more than doubled and led
to cutbacks in the production of pork,
beef and poultry. Proponents of ethanol
from corn claim that a litre of ethanol
contains twice the energy used to make
it, while opponents say that it is, at best,
a break-even proposition. What makes
more sense is to use corn stover and
other agricultural and forestry waste
since the incremental energy to bring
it in for processing is less. If left in the
field or forest, these materials would rot
and produce methane and carbon dioxide. So long as processes that do not use
more energy than is recovered from the
resulting fuel can be developed, this
approach will reduce the greenhouse
impact of the whole operation.
The auto industry also provides
another possible example of misdirected
effort. In a controversial “Dust to dust”
analysis of the environmental impact of
various vehicles (cnwmr.com/nss-folder/
automotiveenergy), CNW Marketing
Research, Inc. concluded that when
all the energy used to design, produce,
drive and dispose of a vehicle was fully
accounted for, a Toyota Prius hybrid
vehicle actually appeared to have a
greater energy cost than an Hummer.
While the study has been criticized,
it does raise the question whether we
really know what we are doing in our
efforts to save the environment.
Focus on the Output
To this point, much of the effort
on reducing pollution, and greenhouse
gases in particular, has focused on
reducing consumption. This, in turn,
has led to investment in efficiency
technologies such as LED and compact
fluorescent lighting, higher efficiency
furnaces and appliances and more effi-
4/23/08 12:30:13 PM
cient cars and trucks. You might wonder
what could possibly be wrong with such
an approach, but if implemented on its
own without other measures, increased
efficiency actually increases total energy
consumption and thus total emissions.
In the Nov. 27, 2007 edition of
“StrategEcon,” the economics and strategy newsletter of CIBC World Markets,
Jeffrey Rubin and Benjamin Tal explain
the efficiency paradox. Increased effi>RO
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of steam engines. After an initial drop
in coal consumption, they note that
coal consumption increased tenfold in
the 30 years following 1830. If we are
serious about reducing pollution and
greenhouse gases, we have to focus on
9VSXMRVY\KVUKVSMYW
#! the output, not on the inputs.
The National Round Table on the
Environment and the Economy, a corporation initially set up by the Federal368938_Pioneer.indd 1
2/8/08 11:04:48 AM
T
®
Government in 1988 to promote susH
tainable development, recently released
E
a study “Getting to 2050: Canada’s
Patented
blending/dispersing blade design makes radical
Transition to a Low-Emission Future”
improvement
over old saw tooth designs
which discusses a variety of marketbased models to encourage a reduction
of greenhouse gases and air pollutants.
We have all faced a task we thought
was too big for us. Once we start we are
often surprised that steady effort can
show results. The task will require the
coordinated efforts of Canada’s scientists, economists, experts in tax policy
and Members of Parliament. Even if
we ultimately fail to meet our Kyoto
commitments because we started too
late, we will be better off, whatever we
POLY
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Peter Wells B.Sc. LL.B. is a lawyer and
a partner in the Toronto office of Lang
Michener LLP. He is certified by the Law
Society of Upper Canada as a specialist in
civil litigation and intellectual property law
(patents, trademarks and copyright) and
is a special lecturer in Patent Law at the
University of Windsor’s Faculty of Law.
* Most efficient and aggressive blending/dispersing
blade available.
* Provides proper combination of pumping action and
shear/dispersion essential for fast consistent results.
* Built in pumping action cuts processing time.
* Longer life due to heavier gauge construction.
* Less heat due to shorter required running time.
* Excellent for high or low speed and high or low viscosity.
* Supplied with hubs or mounting holes required to
retrofit and upgrade present equipment.
* Pumping blades without teeth are available and are
excellent for gentle blending and agitation.
376371_Conn.indd 1
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Catalyst Summer 2008
• 11
4/9/08 4:54:40 PM
Feature
PORT OF PRINCE RUPERT
ANCHORS NEW ASIA –
NORTH AMERICA HIGHSPEED TRADE CORRIDOR
By Harvey F. Chartrand
In British Columbia, the Prince Rupert Port
Authority is revolutionizing North American
shipping and distribution at its world-class port.
PRINCE RUPERT’S ADVANTAGE
• Prince Rupert is closer to Asia than Vancouver and Seattle by 30 hours and
Los Angeles/Long Beach by nearly three days – container lines gain one
extra round-trip voyage per year.
• The deepest natural harbor in North America, offering safe and efficient
access to adjacent international shipping lanes, with a berth depth of 18.7
meters (61.3 feet) that can easily accommodate the largest container vessels.
• The terminal itself is a dedicated high-performing intermodal facility, which
means no trucks and quick movement of cargo between the 200 meters separating the ship and rail cars.
• Lack of urban congestion and plenty of rail capacity along the northern
mainline clears the tracks for the high-speed movement of goods between
Prince Rupert and all points east.
• High level of cooperation and support from communities and unions.
• Significant port capacity to expand with ample industrial land available for
development.
12 • Catalyst Summer 2008
THE PORT OF PRINCE RUPERT CONTAINER
TERMINAL (which officially opened for
business Oct. 30, 2007), is the next generation of intermodal container terminals,
energizing a new Asia-North America
express gateway, its promoters claim.
After a decade of careful planning by the
Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA), the
Port of Prince Rupert is expected to spark
Canadian commerce and give exporters
and importers a competitive edge in the
global marketplace.
The Prince Rupert Container Terminal is being hailed as the first new
transpacific trade corridor to be created
in North America in 100 years. “The
wave from this ripple effect will travel
from Prince Rupert to the Midwest and
back again, generating new economic
opportunities along the corridor, particularly in B.C.,” says PRPA chairman
Dale MacLean.
A collaboration between CN Rail,
Maher Terminals and PRPA, in partnership with the Government of Canada
and the Province of British Columbia,
the new $170-million container terminal is an essential enhancement to the
strategic transportation footprint of the
country, with Canada’s exports to China
outpacing any other G8 nation, according to MacLean.
While the strategic advantages look
good on paper, the true test began when
the fully-loaded 5,400 TEU (20-foot
equivalent units) Antwerp container ves-
sel left Yokohama, Japan, on October
24 with 1,100 TEUs bound for Prince
Rupert. Maher offloaded the containers
using three Super Post-Panamax cranes.
On November 1, the Antwerp sailed for
Vancouver on schedule while the first
CN container-laden train sped east to
Toronto, Montreal and Chicago, where
it arrived on November 5 – a remarkable
12 days after the containers left Asia.
“The service performed even better
than we expected,” said James Foote,
CN’s executive vice-president for sales
and marketing.
COSCO Container Lines was the
first shipping line to recognize the
potential of the under-utilized northern express route to and from Asia’s
booming markets and deep into North
America’s heartland. “COSCO’s vision
is clear,” says Dave Bedwell, executive
vice-president of COSCO. “It includes
strong growth in trade between China
and North America. Given the facilities
developed in Prince Rupert, COSCO
will be able to build on the advantages
and become a long-term supporter of
the gateway.”
For its part, CN has invested
$150 million, including $25 million for
intermodal infrastructure at the Prince
Rupert Container Terminal; $25 million
in tunnels, bridges and siding; and
$100 million for 50 new locomotives
– giving new meaning to the word
“express” along the northern corridor,
while adding capacity on the route all
the way to Memphis, Tenn.
It was an impressive debut for the new
container terminal, which captured the
attention of Asian and North American
shippers. That first CN train from Prince
Rupert carried merchandise for large
eastern retailers – cargo which originated
in the Chinese ports of Hong Kong, Yantian, Qingdao, Dalian and Xiamen. CN
also had 600 containers ready for loading
for Asian ports on the Antwerp.
A second vessel, the Hanjin London,
one of nine 5,400-TEU ships on the
weekly CKYH Alliance’s Pacific Northwest Butterfly South Loop service,
arrived November 6 and was offloaded
and loaded with greater efficiency as the
new terminal crews began establishing
an operational rhythm.
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell lauds
the massive new port and rail development as comparable to the building of the St. Lawrence Seaway. “We
are beginning to see investments and
even greater opportunity as we open
up trade corridors linking the growing
Asian economies with North America
through Canada’s Pacific Gateway,” says
Campbell. The Premier added that the
Port of Prince Rupert and the new trade
corridor will “revolutionize shipping and
distribution lines throughout North
America and across the Pacific.”
The development is seen as an
important step in B.C.’s Pacific Gateway and the federal government’s Asia
Pacific Gateway and Corridor initiatives,
which are projecting to add more than
$2 billion a year and 250,000 jobs to the
Canadian economy by 2020.
Prince Rupert Port Authority president and CEO Don Krusel is focused on
maximizing the economic benefits for
Prince Rupert and the Northwest transportation corridor. “The exciting part
about this is it is not just transportation
infrastructure, but rather a transformaCatalyst Summer 2008 • 13
The development is seen as an important step in B.C.’s
Pacific Gateway and the federal government’s Asia Pacific
Gateway and Corridor initiatives, which are projecting to
add more than $2 billion a year and 250,000 jobs to the
Canadian economy by 2020.
tional infrastructure. It’s going to transform the economies of Prince Rupert
and northern B.C.,” said Krusel.
Gone are the days of being a regional
port subject to the locally-based economy and dependent on the fortunes of
the resources industry. Prince Rupert
has thrust itself onto the international
stage. The transformational infrastructure doesn’t end with the $170-million,
500,000-TEU terminal. According to
the Pacific Gateway, surging Asian
trade is projected to increase container
volumes into North America by 300%
by 2020.
To meet this demand, Krusel says
plans are afoot to rapidly expand capacity. A Phase 2 expansion, projected to
begin construction in 2009 and estimated to cost $650 million, will take
the terminal up to two million TEUs
by 2012. The engineering stage is nearly
complete and the environmental review
is underway.
Krusel says a second container terminal, now in its design stages, has
Prince Rupert on course to handle up
to five million TEUs by 2020. There is
abundant undeveloped land available in
and around the port – a scarcity at most
North American West Coast ports.
Most of the related economic activity will be created by new businesses
emerging to service the superport and
by manufacturers capitalizing on the
more efficient and cost-effective highspeed supply chain to export their products to Asia.
Shaun Stevenson, PRPA vicepresident of marketing and business
development, says the port is a conduit
and not a destination, something that
has started to win support with shippers, shipping lines and logistics companies. “We are doing more than just
bringing new capacity – we are bringing an entirely new way of connecting
Asia to North America that is linking
a whole new world of opportunities for
the region and along the trade corridor,”
said Stevenson.
“We believe exporting through Prince
Rupert can give Canadian shippers a
competitive advantage with significant
NOVA CHEMICALS USES NEW SUPERPORT TO BOOST
TRADE ACCESS TO ASIA
NOVA Chemicals was one of the first exporters to use the new Port of
Prince Rupert to ship its polyethylene product to China. The new port marked
the historic event with an Inaugural Sailing Plaque Ceremony on Oct. 31,
2007. NOVA Chemicals has worked with COSCO Container Lines for more
than 20 years in shipping its products to export markets in China. In fact,
NOVA Chemicals has been one of the 10 largest exporters out of the Port
of Vancouver for many years. The opening of the new port at Prince Rupert
offers NOVA a transportation alternative to the robust and growing Asian
polyethylene markets. The new terminal is expected to ease congestion at
the Vancouver terminals. But more importantly, the improved trade access to
Asian markets will help NOVA Chemicals to further capitalize on its Alberta
advantage as compared to Gulf Coast petrochemical manufacturers.
– excerpted from NOVA Chemicals’ SiteLine newsletter (December 2007)
14 • Catalyst Summer 2008
Shaun Stevenson, PRPA Vice President of
Marketing and Business Development
cost savings,” Stevenson adds. “The new
trade corridor will offer a high level of
speed, efficiency and dependability that
will serve as a catalyst for the development of new export markets.”
While much activity is centered on
the Phase 2 expansion of the Prince
Rupert Container Terminal, Stevenson is also busy directing the port’s
efforts to develop its 500-hectare Ridley
Island industrial lands to accommodate
new bulk terminals and petrochemical
facilities.
“Our focus is on expanding our container logistics services and capabilities to better accommodate Canadian
exports from northern B.C. and Alberta
through the development of a logistics
platform,” Stevenson notes. “In addition, we are seeing increasing interest in
the development of new dry and liquid
bulk terminals to capitalize on Prince
Rupert’s location advantages and transportation connections with Asia.”
“This expanded deep port facility will
dramatically increase our region’s access
and capacity to serve the lucrative Asian
market,” says Ron Gilbertson, president and CEO of Edmonton Economic
Development Corp.
“This is so big… I don’t think people realize how big it’s going to be,”
enthuses Prince George (B.C.) Mayor
Colin Kinsley. A
Harvey F. Chartrand is an Ottawabased writer-researcher.
Feature
RESPONSIBLE CARE®:
THE NEXT GENERATION
By Francis Gillis
Responsible Care demonstrates a basic
robustness that makes it adaptable to changing
times and circumstances.
WHEN THE CCPA Board of Directors gathered for a strategy meetThe scan noted that the environment has emerged as one
ing in Calgary in June 2007, they could not have known they
of the top priorities for Canadians. There is a new awareness of
were about to initiate a historic turning point in the evolution
climate change and a sense of obligation to improve the enviof Responsible Care and of the association itself. At its birth 22
ronment for future generations. To maintain credibility in this
years ago, Responsible Care made Canada’s chemical producers
situation, the Canadian chemical industry will have to meet
world leaders in going above and beyond regulations in managheightened public expectations around sustainability. At the
ing chemicals and being accountable to the public. Over the
same time, dramatic shifts in investment from North America
years, the initiative was adopted by 52 other countries. But in
to chemical plants in the Middle East, India and China conthe months leading up to that important discussion in Calgary,
tinue to affect the shape of the chemical industry in Canada.
industry people were beginning to sense that the program, so
In recent years, CCPA has lost several member-companies,
inspiring for so many people for so many years, had lost its cutand a growing number of companies have elected not to join
ting edge. However, during the meeting and subsequent disthe association and officially embrace Responsible Care. These
cussions, Responsible Care
companies believe their
would once again demoninternal procedures meet
WHO’S WHO?
strate a basic robustness that
the expectations of Responmakes it adaptable to changThe Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association
sible Care.
ing times and circumstances.
is the national trade association of Canadian chemiThe National Advisory
These are particularly
cal manufacturers, representing 70 companies and
Panel, a group of stakeholdchallenging days for the
Responsible Care Partners with from five to 5,000
ers who advise CCPA on
chemical industry in Canemployees. Together these companies generate revResponsible Care and other
ada. That much was clear
enues of more than $24 billion annually.
issues (see “Who’s Who?”),
from an “environment scan”
The National Advisory Panel is a group of Canahad previously reviewed
presented at the June 2007
dians from across the country who are involved in
the scan and agreed that
meeting that identified the
community and public issues and concerned about
the issues highlighted were
major economic, social,
the chemical industry. The advisory panel provides
exactly the ones on which
business and political trends
independent advice to CCPA on Responsible Care
Canada’s chemical industry
that will affect CCPA and
and sustainability and on how the industry can best
should be focusing.
its member-companies. The
meet the concerns and expectations of Canadians.
As Board members disscan is the first step in a
The panel includes community activists, environcussed the trends and chalcyclical planning process in
mental group members, a retailers’ association execulenges identified by the scan,
which the association sets
tive, a national union representative and professors
there was a growing sense
priorities and strategies every
of law, medicine, engineering, environmental studthat “more of the same” or
three years. The Calgary
ies and public policy. (For the full story on the proeven “continuous improvefound impact of the panel on CCPA, see “A Panel
meeting was to review the
ment” was not going to cut
with Punch: 20 Years of Canada’s National Advisory
scan and begin the developit. To remain economically
Panel,” in the Spring 2007 edition of Catalyst.)
ment of the 2008-2011 Tri(continued on page 17)
ennial Plan.
Catalyst Summer 2008 • 15
THREE PUT THEIR FAITH IN RESPONSIBLE CARE
By the end of the 2008-2011
Triennial:
• Responsible Care in Canada
will be widely recognized by
business, communities and
government as the pre-eminent industry initiative for
sustainability.
• Chemicals will be seen not as a
problem to be managed but as a
vital part of the solution to the
sustainability challenge.
• A growing CCPA will bring
together producers and users of
chemicals in all forms in a globally competitive industry that
becomes an even greater contributor to sustainable prosperity in Canada.
That’s quite a vision, but it sums
up the hopes of CCPA President &
CEO Richard Paton, CCPA Chairman Paul Timmons, and ViceChairman for Responsible Care
Bill White. The three leaders have
no illusions about the challenges
of getting there, but they believe
the adaptability of Responsible
Care coupled with the strategy in
the Triennial Plan (expected to be
endorsed by the Board of Directors in June) makes the vision
achievable.
Says Paton, “The brilliance
of Responsible Care when it was
created in the mid-1980s was that
it defined our performance relative to societal expectations and
established a sound architecture
through our National Advisory Panel, community outreach,
transparency and verification to
continually assess our licence to
operate.” Paton believes that this
architecture will enable CCPA
to take Responsible Care into the
next generation.
Ironically, one of the biggest
challenges to the Triennial Plan
arises from the success of Responsible Care. Certainly Responsible
16 • Catalyst Summer 2008
Care in Canada is not broken, says
Paton. It is “probably the most successful industry responsibility initiative in the world” and, among
the 53 country-associations in
Responsible Care, Canada is “still
the leader” in terms of the rigour
and scope of its program. All of
which raises the question: “So
why fix it?” A major communications task, Paton says, will be to
get all CCPA members to understand the need for taking a new
direction in order to maintain the
vibrancy and relevance of Responsible Care in dealing with the dramatic changes in public opinion
on sustainability issues.
Bill White, President of E. I.
du Pont Canada, sets issues facing
the chemical industry in the context of broader issues facing the
planet. “The biggest challenge,” he
says, “is to deliver on our new principles fast enough to be able to play
our part in reversing the accelerating decline in global sustainability.” White focuses on internal
communications as critical to the
success of the new direction in
Responsible Care. The challenge
will be to develop “the clear and
compelling messages required to
help our members see the opportunity and the duty we have to
help solve today’s biggest problems through chemistry. This will
enable us to create the motivation
in the workforce in all our companies and all those in the chemistry
business to step up to the challenge
and develop the solutions society
needs now.”
Paul Timmons, President of
ERCO Worldwide, notes that the
cost of doing business – in raw
materials, transportation, regulatory burden and other areas – is
increasing rapidly. In this context,
implementing the new principles
“may be seen as an additional
burden.” Like his two colleagues,
therefore, he sees effective internal
communications as critical to the
success of the new Triennial Plan.
Timmons also notes that CCPA
and individual members are facing
serious demographic challenges.
“As many people retire, they take
with them much of the knowledge
of the development and commitment of Responsible Care and the
expectations of the ethic.” But Timmons hopes that the new direction
in Responsible Care will “build
enthusiasm within the membership, and we will see more members
becoming involved in the association on a regular basis. It may also
be a selling point in attracting new
members (to CCPA) and attracting talent to the industry.”
Other major challenges noted
by the leaders include measuring
success and building on it, fully
integrating the Responsible Care
ethic with sustainability principles
persuading governments to recognize Responsible Care and to
work in genuine partnership with
CCPA on achieving sustainability
objectives.
Considerable as the challenges
are, the leaders believe that CCPA
has the resources to meet them.
Paton refers to CCPA’s “superb
governance structure,” which
enables the membership to honestly debate new policies or directions and then commit to the best
course of action that “meets both
our Responsible Care principles
and the needs of our industry. I am
confident we can continue to do
this in the future.”
CCPA must “not be daunted by
the distance to the ultimate goal,”
says White, “or by performance
gaps versus the ideal. This is a
journey, and we will learn from our
successes and mistakes to advance
rapidly to achieve the goal.”
viable and retain its “licence to operate,” the chemical industry in Canada would likely need to make a step change in
Responsible Care and the role of CCPA itself. They knew they
had to further discuss the status of Responsible Care.
Consultation with members and other stakeholders, basic
to the way CCPA develops its triennial plans, accelerated during the summer. Member-company executives were consulted
in regional meetings across the country. The National Advisory Panel (and some former panel members) provided written input on how Responsible Care should change and what
a new set of principles should look like. All this advice provided background for a special two-day meeting of the Board
and sustainability experts in Gatineau, Quebec, in September
2007.
You do not get 20 executives in a room and expect quick and
easy consensus. However, by the end of the Gatineau meeting,
there was unanimous agreement that the current Responsible
Care principles needed revision, and broad agreement that
CCPA needs to take a different approach to Responsible Care.
The participants were still some distance from drafting new or
revised principles, but were able to agree on proposed themes
such as practicing sustainable chemistry, innovation, ensuring
safety and security of products throughout their life cycle, and
engaging communities.
The proposed themes were placed before the National
Advisory Panel when it met at the Château Laurier in Ottawa
in October 2007. Panel members did not get everything they
wanted, but it was obvious they had a significant influence on
the proposed direction for the new principles. Their general
support for the broad themes set by the Board of Directors,
along with a call for “more stretch goals” to return Responsible
Care to its leadership position, was immediately conveyed to
the Board, which was meeting in the same venue for further
work on the new principles.
There followed further consultation with membercompany executives during the rest of 2007. By early 2008,
CCPA staff had sifted through all the input and Board conclusions to produce a draft triennial plan for a new direction
for Responsible Care and a new set of Responsible Care principles. (See “The New Responsible Care Ethic & Principles
for Sustainability.”) Sustainability was an important theme in
the previous version of the ethic and principles endorsed in
2000. But the new principles make it very clear that Responsible Care is the means by which CCPA member-companies
will demonstrate sustainability, that for the Canadian chemical industry Responsible Care and sustainability are one and
the same.
Sustainability means meeting not only environmental, but
also social and economic goals – the “triple bottom line” –
linking sustainability to reputational and business objectives.
The spirit of the new sustainability-focused principles is a very
positive one. In effect, they are saying: We are not only protecting human health and the environment, but providing
solutions that bring economic benefits and enhance the quality of life for Canadians. We are innovative in our approach to
competing in the world and meeting people’s needs through
sustainable chemistry. We want to do well by doing good.
What remains unchanged in the principles is the commitment to “do the right thing, and be seen to do the right thing.”
The core value of Responsible Care remains, even as it evolves
to meet new challenges.
In late February, the Board endorsed the new ethic and principles. Barring any major concerns about the new principles
from the panel or CCPA members, this version is expected to
be approved and signed by each CCPA Board member in June
2008. At the same time, the Board will endorse a triennial plan
for implementing the new principles and instituting changes to
the role of CCPA.
Over the next three years, CCPA will develop new policies
to support the principles and will review their implications for
the Responsible Care codes of practice, third-party verification
of Responsible Care, and environment, health and safety performance measures. CCPA is also planning a public launch of the
new ethic and principles.
To address fundamental shifts in the global chemical industry, CCPA will broaden its membership beyond chemical manufacturing to include related industries involved in chemistry.
As well, the association and its members will be looking at new
opportunities in such areas as nanotechnology, green or sustainable chemistry, bio-based feedstock and the role that chemistry
can play in more sustainable ways to meet customer needs. A
Francis Gillis has written many articles for chemical industry
publications. He provides meeting reports and other written materials
for the CCPA National Advisory Panel.
376236_Fielding.indd
1
Catalyst Summer 2008
• 175:26:31
3/29/08
PM
Product Profile
ECOFLEX®: CHEMISTRY
INSPIRED BY NATURE
By Martine Despatie
18 • Catalyst Summer 2008
WHEN PLASTIC WAS first developed in
the 1860s, little did we know what an
integral role the material would become
in our everyday lives. Today, plastics play
an important part in cutting-edge technologies because they are lightweight,
versatile and tailor-made to meet specific needs. These features make them
an ideal choice in almost everything
from IV bags that deliver life-saving fluids, to lightweight car parts that reduce
the weight of automobiles, which in turn
helps conserve gasoline and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Plastics truly have become the material of choice for today’s ever-changing
world.
For BASF, sustainability is a long-term
competitive advantage that includes
plastic solutions. An example of this is
the Ecoflex® product line.
Ecoflex, an aliphatic-aromatic copolyester, is fully biodegradable in both
a commercial compost process and in
soil. Initially developed in Germany in
the 1990s, Ecoflex has been marketed
in Canada since 2003. It can be used in
various applications either by itself or in
compounds with biodegradable or renewable materials.
One application of Ecoflex is in food
packaging made from renewable raw
materials and coated with Ecoflex-based
films, which meet the ASTM 6868 standard specifications for compostability,
it will biodegrade within 180 days in
municipal compost facilities. The product also complies with ASTM D6400
specifications and the FDA Food Contact Notification, which certifies that
Ecoflex is biodegradable, compostable
and safe for food contact in Canada and
the United States. Additionally, Ecoflex
has food contact legislation approval in
Japan and Europe.
The benefits of this type of packaging includes better protection against
breakage and cracking, resistance to
grease, moisture and temperature variation due to its moisture-resistance, and
high-impact strength. It also improves
the serviceability of starch foam and
paper substrates.
Therefore, it can be used in the production of packaging that becomes heavily contaminated with food residues after
use, such as food wrap, drinking cups,
hamburger boxes and food trays, to name
a few. If natural material is used by itself,
without an Ecoflex coating, fats and liquids would penetrate the containers. The
coating provides a hygienic barrier and
allows all of the ensuing waste to be composted. The result is a high-performance,
biodegradable food packaging that helps
the contents retain their freshness and
taste.
In compostable bag and film applications, Ecoflex provides a huge sustainable
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377434_Anasazi.indd
1
4/14/08
11:16:22 PM
benefit. Bags made with Ecoflex biodegradable plastic are fully compostable so
food waste can be collected hygienically
in the kitchen and composted along with
the bag. Undesirable odours and pest
infestations are avoided, as with common polyethylene bags. Ecoflex biodegradable plastic in the form of film is also
useful in agriculture as mulch for crops
such as asparagus, lettuce and cucumbers. Plastic sheeting is often drawn over
entire fields to protect small, fragile lettuce plants from frost. Typically, after
the harvest the farmer must collect and
dispose of the protective covering. With
Ecoflex, the films are plowed in with the
remaining plant material and allowed to
decompose in the soil.
Initially, Ecoflex was specifically
developed for flexible film applications, in
blown film, extrusion coating or cast film.
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Production and printing can be done in
most conventional plants designed for
polyethylene film processing. Consequently, manufacturers do not require
new machinery. Like polyethylene, Ecoflex biodegradable plastic is waterproof,
flexible, printable and weldable.
Farnell Packaging Limited of Dartmouth, N.S., was the first Canadian
company to receive certification from
the Biodegradable Products Institute for
a biodegradable and compostable film.
Farnell collaborated with BASF’s Specialty Polymers and Foams business on
a project for the 2007 Canadian Plastics Sector Council (CPSC) conference,
aimed at engaging Canadian youth on
the issue of the environmental friendliness of plastic products and to explore
how the industry is evolving into an
environmental steward. Farnell had a
custom solution that would address the
CPSC’s need of a conference bag to be
printed with leading graphics and be
biodegradable and compostable. For this
project, Farnell received two prestigious
environmental awards: Most Progressive
Environmental Packaging Project, and
Technical Innovation.
In 2007, Ecoflex and Ecovio®, a further development with Ecoflex, received
the iF material award from the International Forum Design (iF) in Hanover,
Germany. This forum provides a platform for manufacturers, designers and
design engineers to showcase their design
ideas in four different categories: material, material application, product idea
and process.
Ecovio is the first BASF plastic containing significant levels of renewable
raw materials. The plastic consists of 45
percent polylactic acid derived from corn.
The other component is the biodegradable plastic Ecoflex, based on petrochemical resources. With Ecovio, customers can
produce tailor-made blends and, depending on the mixing ratio of Ecovio with
Ecoflex or polylactic acid, more flexible or
more rigid formulations are possible. A
Martine Despatie is Communications
Manager, BASF Canada (www.basf.com/
basf-canada).
GATX Rail Canada primarily serves the chemical and petroleum rail
transportation markets. Our commitment to the health and safety of our
employees, communities and environment is integral with serving these
markets. GATX Rail Canada is proud “to go beyond what’s required” and be
a partner of Responsible Care.
Our goal: Participate in the growth of a healthy economy while maintaining a
healthy and safe workplace and community environment. We owe this to you - we
owe this to ourselves.
For more information, please do not hesitate to contact Graham Cooper, our
V.P. Operations at 514-931-7343 ext. 1869
GATX Rail Canada provides finance and railcar leasing services on a net or
full-service basis. Our full-service leasing is supported by our nationwide
network of major service centers and mobile repair units.
GATX Rail Canada
www.gatx.com
BOTHWELL, ONTARIO
314922_GATX.indd 1
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• 19
6/12/07 4:14:43 PM
Awards
AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS
Canadian Pacific’s Chemical Shipper Safety Award
CP’s Chemical Shipper Safety Award recognizes customers
who are dedicated to safety by exercising safe loading practices.
Eligible companies must ship more than 400 loads per year of
regulated chemicals without a Non-Accident Release (NAR)
– the unintentional release of a hazardous material during any
transportation phase. This type of leak can result from splashes
or improperly secured or defective valves, fittings and tank
shells, and also includes venting of non-atmospheric gases from
safety relief devices. As part of its commitment to Responsible
Care, CP practices environmental stewardship and leadership
by working with customers, suppliers and contractors who have
responsible practices.
Congratulations to the following CCPA member-companies
that were among the recipients of Canadian Pacific’s 2007 Chemical Shipper Safety Award:
• Canexus Chemicals Canada LP (Brandon, MB;
North Vancouver, BC)
• Chemtrade Logistics Inc. (Sudbury, ON)
• Dow Chemical Canada Inc. (Fort Saskatchewan, AB; Prentiss/Blackfalds, AB)
• Erco Worldwide (Buckingham, QC; Hargrave, AB)
• Nova Chemicals Corp. (Red Deer, AB)
For a full list of recipients, visit: www8.cpr.ca/cms/English/
General+Public/CSR+2006/default.htm and click on the following links: Read our 2006 Corporate Social Responsibility Report
here; and Responsible Care.
The Comité mixte municipal-industriel of
the City of Varennes Receives the Quebec
Civil Security Award for a Second Time
Le Mérite québécois de la sécurité
civile attribué au Comité mixte
municipal-industriel de Varennes
pour une deuxième fois
On Feb. 19, 2008, the Comité mixte municipal-industriel
(CMMI) of Varennes received the Quebec civil security
award from Public Security Minister, the Honourable Jacques
P. Dupuis. Four CCPA members – Basell, Dow, Kronos and
Pétromont – were actively involved in this outstanding secondtime achievement.
In 2005, the Varennes CCMI received this honour in addition to the Mérite d’ovation from the Union des municipalités
du Québec 2005.
In this second phase of the CMMI, efforts made by CCPA
members prompted three risk creators that were not members
to communicate
their disaster scenarios. CCPA can
be proud to see real
Responsible Care
in action!
The Varennes
CMMI, made up
of citizens, public
authority
representatives and risk
creators, was estabCMMI Civil Security Award Winners
lished more than
10 years ago following the commitment of CCPA membercompanies to communicate their emergency scenarios.
Phase two of the CMMI’s work led to an information campaign that ended with an information evening, the release
of a DVD on emergency measures and, finally, a simulated
emergency.
The CCPA member-companies of Varennes are especially
proud of this honour. It reflects upon the entire Varennes community, which will now be aiming to score a hat trick.
20 • Catalyst Summer 2008
Le 19 février dernier, le Comité mixte municipal-industriel
(CMMI) de Varennes s’est vu remettre par le ministre de la
Sécurité publique, l’honorable Jacques P. Dupuis, le Mérite
québécois de la sécurité civile. Quatre compagnies-membres de
l’Association canadienne des fabricants de produits chimiques
(ACFPC) – Basell, Dow, Kronos et Pétromont ont participé
activement à la réalisation de cet exceptionnel doublé.
En effet, en 2005, le CMMI de Varennes s’était aussi vu
attribuer cet honneur en plus du Mérite d’ovation de l’Union
des municipalités du Québec 2005.
Dans cette seconde phase du CMMI, les
efforts déployés par les membres de l’ACFPC ont
eu un effet d’entraînement qui a incité 3 générateurs de risque, non-membres de l’ACFPC, à
communiquer leurs scénarios catastrophiques :
un effet d’entraînement de la Gestion responsableMD dont l’ACFPC peut s’enorgueillir; de la
vraie Gestion responsableMD à l’œuvre!
Notons que le CMMI de Varennes, qui est
composé de citoyens, de représentants des autorités publiques et de générateurs de risques, fut
créé il y a plus de dix ans suite à l’engagement
des compagnies-membres de l’ACFPC à communiquer leurs scénarios d’urgence.
La seconde phase des travaux du CMMI a mené à une campagne d’information couronnée par une soirée d’information,
à la publication d’un DVD portant sur les mesures à prendre en
cas d’urgence et finalement à une simulation d’urgence.
Il va sans dire que les compagnies-membres de l’ACFPC
de Varennes sont particulièrement fières de cet honneur qui
rejaillit sur toute la communauté varennoise qui, dorénavant,
vise un tour du chapeau. A
BUYERS’GUIDE
AND INDEX TO
ADVERTISERS
AIR PURIFICATION SYSTEMS
Sentry Air Systems, Inc. ...........................................................10
BLENDING BLADES & MIXING EQUIPMENT
Conn & Co., LLC ......................................................................11
CHEMICAL PRODUCERS
Arkema Canada, Inc...................................................................4
BASF Canada, Inc. .....................................................................3
Imperial Oil Ltd., Chemicals .............................Inside Front Cover
NOVA Chemicals (Mktg. Communications) .................................8
Rohm and Haas Canada, LP .......................................................6
RAIL TRANSPORTATION
GATX Rail Canada ....................................................................19
Procor Ltd. ...............................................................................21
REFRIGERANT RECYCLING
Fielding Chemical Technologies ...............................................17
SOLVENT RECYCLING
Fielding Chemical Technologies ...............................................17
SPECTROMETERS
Anasazi Instruments ................................................................18
CHLOR ALKALI CHEMICALS
Pioneer Companies ..................................................................11
SPILL RESPONSE SERVICES
Fielding Chemical Technologies ...............................................17
HALON DISPOSAL
Fielding Chemical Technologies ...............................................17
SPILL SUPPLIES
Fielding Chemical Technologies ...............................................17
HAZMAT TRAINING
Fielding Chemical Technologies ...............................................17
TRANSPORTATION
Harold Marcus Ltd. ..................................................................19
INDUSTRIAL CLEAN-UP SERVICES
Fielding Chemical Technologies ...............................................17
TRUCKING FIRMS
Northwest Tank Lines ...................................... Inside Back Cover
INSURANCE
AIG Environmental ........................................ Outside Back Cover
WASTE DISPOSAL
Fielding Chemical Technologies ...............................................17
LUBRICANTS
H.L. Blachford Ltd. ...................................................................21
WASTE TREATMENT
Fielding Chemical Technologies ...............................................17
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For more information, visit our
web site at www. blachford.com,
or call us at 905.823.3200.
At Procor, all three are essential. And our belief is safe and responsible business practices
above all else. We follow a strict code of ethics from the beginning to the end of the business cycle: occupational health and safety; environmental responsibility; operations management; supply chain stewardship; and TransCAER.
Our commitment to this code of ethics ensures Responsible Care® is fully integrated in our
products, services and processes, and that we go beyond what is required for the health
and safety of our employees, our communities and our environment.
For more information about our Responsible Care® program, please contact our Director
Responsible Care at 905.827.4111.
Canada's largest full-service rail car lessor
Responsible Care
www.procor.com
®
Beyond what’s required.
A member of The Marmon Group of companies
372391_Procor.indd
1
Catalyst Summer 2008
• 217:31:59
4/15/08
PM
fun
facts
“SPEED ON IN YOUR SPEEDOS”
photo: ©iStockphoto
- Captain Jim Parsons, 1928
SPEEDO WAS ESTABLISHED in Australia in 1914 by Alexander MacRae. Originally known
as MacRae Hosiery Manufacturers, the name was changed to Speedo in 1928 after Captain Jim Parsons submitted “Speed on in your Speedos” to a company competition.
The company’s product line and materials evolved over the years and in the late
1970s, Speedo started incorporating Lycra into its swimwear. Lycra, a trademark of
Invista (formerly part of DuPont), is made of a synthetic fibre called Spandex. Invented
by American chemist Joseph Shivers in 1959, Spandex was renowned for its durability
and elasticity, making it an ideal fabric for swimwear. The name Spandex was derived
from scrambling the word “expands.”
While Spandex/Lycra are still widely used, Speedo has gone on to develop its own
ultra-lightweight, low-drag, water-repellent, fast-drying fabric – Fastskin. In February
2008, the company launched the new LZR RACER suit. Speedo claims the suit, developed in association with NASA and the Australian Institute of Sport, is the world’s
fastest swimsuit. While records have been broken at Olympic trials around the world,
the suit was not available for the Canadian Olympic trials in March. In accordance with
FINA* rules, it will be available for all competitors in time for the Beijing Olympics.
*FINA (Fédération internationale de Natation) is the international governing body of
swimming: www.fina.org. Swimming Canada: www.swimming.ca.
Beijing’s new National Aquatics Centre (NAC) is a complex and unique project clad in transparent cushioning. This
blue-toned facility has been nicknamed
the “Water Cube” and will host the diving, swimming and synchronized swimming events for the 2008 Olympic and
Paralympic Games.
The building is one of the largest swimming centres anywhere in the
world. The construction of its outer layer
of cushioning used more than one million square feet of Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), a type of plastic with
high-strength and insulation properties.
The project’s ETFE air-cushion structures are the first of their kind to be used
in China and form the largest and most
complicated membrane system in any
single project in the world. Blue “bubbles”
in the membrane are designed to showcase the grace of water, but each is strong
enough to resist the weight of a car. They
also provide high resistance against fire
and intense heat. The membrane is also
self-cleaning. The friction co-efficient of
the material is low, so dust does not easily
22 • Catalyst Summer 2008
attach to it. Any dust that does manage
to gather is washed away by rainwater,
which the outer surface and roof façade
collect.
Unlike traditional stadium structures,
in this case the structure, façade and
architectural space are all one and the
same. As such, the NAC is designed to
act like a greenhouse, absorbing solar
radiation and avoiding heat loss. The
double-skin façade of bubbles is so wellinsulated it has the potential to achieve
an annual net heat gain.
Another environmental advantage
in construction was the material’s low
weight, in comparison with conventional
glazing materials with similar lighting
effects. This meant less steel was needed
to support the structure.
As plastics become increasingly
essential to building construction, the
potential is seen for them to take on a
more prominent role. “Polymers have
many attributes – lightness, durability
and strength among them,” says Billie
Faircloth, an instructor at the University
of Texas School of Architecture. “Com-
photo: PTW Architects
BUILDINGS: THE FUTURE IS PLASTIC
pared to steel, the current strong material
of choice, polymers are highly reconfigurable at the molecular level, giving rise to
the engineering of multiple-performance
attributes, including form change and
conductibility.”
Whether or not plastics will fully
move from the “skin” into the “structure” of tomorrow’s buildings remains to
be seen. A
— reprinted with permission of the American Chemistry Council from the March/
April 2008 issue of American Chemistry
Driven
Northwest Tank Lines has an unwavering commitment to safety,
dependability, and exceeding customers’ expectations.This commitment
has driven us to deliver — and become one of North America’s safest
and fastest growing tank truck companies along the way.
Our core values drive continuous improvement, from recruiting the
best people, to investing in state-of-the-art equipment and systems.
It all adds up to service excellence.
If your company is driven to succeed, Northwest will help you get there.
A proud Responsible Care partner
™
Driven to Deliver
WWW.NORTHWESTTANKLINES.COM
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