Chris Rodinis
http://s7d9.scene7.com/is/content/minesafetyappliances/V-GardGRNPressReleaseFINAL\
Here is a green news item from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania of all places. MSA, a safety equipment manufacturer, has innovated by using sugarcane to produce high density plastic polyethylene into a regulation “Safety Helmet,” or hard hat. Since MSA is the biggest player in the hard hat market, this innovation can only make them stronger.
Nice to know that market leaders know how to innovate, even when that means improving something that at first glance did not need improving!
MSA has made V-shaped hard hats the norm at construction sites, however, this is their first “green” hard hat. Hard hats are credited with keeping workers from dying when something heavy falls on them.
Now corporate buyers can select not just the best hard hat around, but the strongest and greenest too! And workers will be protecting themselves as well as the environment.
Green Is Better
“This product is the first safety product made almost entirely from a renewable resource: sugarcane!”
“Green polyethylene is is made from sugarcane and has a very small carbon footprint where each ton of it produced means 2.5 pounds of carbon dioxide is captured from the atmosphere.”
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the production of a traditional hard hat yields over two pounds of carbon dioxide into the environment.
The advantage of green polyethylene is that it is 100 percent recyclable and is safe for use in all kinds of products which gives it the environmental advantage that MSA is looking for.
As Strong and As Profitable
And most importantly, the thing most important about safety products is protection. In that regard, here is what MSA has to say: “But at the end of the day we would not be using this material if it didn’t provide the same high level of head protection that our V-Gard brand is known for around the world.”
“ That’s what makes this product option so attractive.”
The green plastic: “sourced from sugarcane provides the same performance and properties as resins made from non renewable raw materials,”
“Environmental sustainability is more important than ever today, and our development of a sustainable hard hat provides MSA customers with yet another way to demonstrate their commitment to preserving the planet,” the MSA spokesperson stated.
“For green construction projects, or for companies focused on sustainability initiatives, we think the V-Gard GRN Hard Hat provides a
perfect fit.”
For more information on recycling and reuse please visit: