The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Friday recognized the Dow Chemical Company in Collegeville, Montgomery County with a Green Chemistry Challenge Award for developing thermal printing paper that eliminates the need for chemicals to create an image.

The product is now used broadly throughout the world for cash register receipts, tickets, tags, labels and other documents. Dow was one of five companies nationwide to receive EPA’s Green Chemistry Challenge Award this year.

“We congratulate those who bring innovative solutions that will help solve problems and help American businesses,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “These innovations encourage smart and safe practices, while cutting manufacturing costs and sparking investments. Ultimately, these manufacturing processes and products spur economic growth and are safer for health and the environment.”

The technology developed by Dow reduces costs by creating records that do not fade, even under severe sunlight, allowing the original document to be preserved for long term storage. By using this technology, documents such as medical records would not have to be photocopied for long term storage.

During the 22 years of the Green Chemistry program, EPA has received more than 1,600 nominations and presented awards to 114 technologies that spur economic growth, reduce costs, and decrease waste.

Winning technologies are estimated to be responsible for annually reducing the use or generation of more than 826 million pounds of hazardous chemicals, saving 21 billion gallons of water, and eliminating 7.8 billion pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent releases to air.

An independent panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute formally judged the 2017 submissions from among scores of nominated technologies and made recommendations to EPA for the 2017 winners.

The 2017 awards event will be held in conjunction with the 21st Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference June 13-15 in Reston, Virginia.

More information on other winners and the program, can be found at EPA’s Green Chemistry webpage.

[Posted: June 9, 2017]

6/12/2017