Sustainable Materials Review: Is Corian TreeHugger Green?
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.10.07
Responsible materials selection is one of the most important steps in creating sustainable design. While many materials featured here at TreeHugger represent different shades of green (and few are perfect), we think it's important to know the implications of using one material over another; this is especially true when a product claims or is marketed to be "green." Such is the case with DuPont's Corian, a thermosetting plastic that DuPont has presented as a "green" product (though it comes in many colors -- ha ha). But is Corian really TreeHugger green?
It's tempting to think so, but, unfortunately, it isn't as easy as that, as much as DuPont wants us to think so. Though they're able to point to a few common measures of "green" with Corian (long life and durability, virtually no off-gassing of VOCs, no heavy metals or carcinogens in the pigments) and to some larger measures throughout the company itself ("Greenhouse gas emissions from our global operations are now down 63 percent (on a Kyoto basis) since 1990" and "Total energy consumption now stands at 101 percent of 1990 levels, essentially offsetting a 35 percent increase in production over this period."), we aren't ready to give them a firm green handshake or pat on the back.
Like many large companies, DuPont has to start with big goals, using words like "journey" and "continuous improvement", which, while not a bad thing, don't let them off the hook or give them license to call their products "green." It's great that they appear to be working on it -- we wish them all the continued success with incorporating sustainability into their business practices -- but "green" is not the same thing as "not as bad as before." The company continues to "drive toward a goal of zero waste generation at the source, and zero emissions", which is a nice goal, and something shareholders are happy to hang their hats on, but we can't be satisfied with simply stating goals (like "Conserve energy and resources, including coal, oil, natural gas, water and minerals", which sounds almost like a cop-out), no matter how green they sound.
So, though DuPont's states "all the colors of Corian® can be considered 'green'", they aren't TreeHugger green (just yet). We don't want to rain on their (getting) green(er) parade, but we can't take their green claims at face value, either. We applaud them for getting the ball rolling, and are glad to see that they're addressing some human health issues (with low product and adhesive sealant offgassing, and food and healthcare safety) but until it's made with recycled content, or created with renewable (read: non-petroleum) resources or other measurable green processes, it hasn't earned a TreeHugger thumbs up. ::Dupont's Environmental Case for Corian
See also: ::New, Biopolymer Versions of Sorona(R) and Hytrel(R) From Dupont and ::Ceres Ranks 100 Global Companies on Climate Change Strategies
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Serious Materials Makes Serious Windows
- Eco Friendly Flooring Guide is a Great Resource
- GreenBuild: Project Frog
- GreenBuild: Making Beauty from Waste at Engineered Timber Resources
If anyone is going to develop sustainable feedstocks for plasticlike materials, it's gonna be experts at places like DuPont or Dow. I think they should be encouraged. (Dow has trumpeted green initatives since the early 90s.)
Corian is used in upscale houses, at least according to my memory, and upscale consumers are more likely to discard furnishings long before their useful life is over anyway. If DuPont wants to up their green profile on this stuff, they should figure a way to re-polish it so that homeowners want to hold onto it longer (it does get dull after a while) and also figure a way to recycle it.
I'm not advocating that Dupont or Corian are "green", but to take a specific product and then generalize about a company's vague statements...with vague statements of your own really isn't a good argument, either way!
I agree with JS, you basically want me to question DuPont just because they are DuPont. I have no problem doing so, but it seems this article could use a few more specifics on why they deserve the thumbs up or thumbs down. I have to say in general I'm pretty impressed by the initiatives taken by companies like DuPont, Dow and GE.
Corian is a thermoset plastic material. The big problem with thermosets are once they are molded they cannot be melted back down like a thermoplastic material. Hence the countertop cannot be recycled. So in addition to thermosets not being made of recycled material, it also cannot be recycled. If Dupont were to work on creating a thermoplastic material that would be suitable for countertops, then at least the material could be recycled.
All the big industrial giants were huge polluters back in the day, and still fight in court to limit their cleanup liabilities, but these companies are staffed by people who have to live in these polluted areas, and when a company says they want to do better, we should welcome that.
No company is going to last any more if it poisons the families of its employees. What we need are stronger whistleblower protections to encourage this process. DuPont's cutting their energy consumption is commendable (of course it was a sound business decision too.) And we have to realize that EVERYONE polluted back in the day, Kodak, GM, GE, Ford, DuPont, everyone.
Hmmm... I agree with most of the comments
You need to substantiate why it is not "Tree Hugger Green". You just seem to keep saying "Dupont says it is green, but treehugger says it is not tree-hugger green" I think I read that same statement repeated 5 different ways 10 times...
it is a strategy which worked wonders in school but you wil have to do better.
ahh , excuse me " treehugger green " ??? becoming a little self important aren't we . . . .
and as others have noted , maybe it should read , " Is Dupont really Treehugger Green ? "
After being outsourced from a very well paying job I spent two years installinng Corian.
We recyced it all the time. When retrofitting a "Luxury home" the large counter tops were cut into smaller pieces and made into vanities for Habitat for Humanity. Small irregular Pieces were glued togther to make usable slabs that werre then cut into the desired shape.
Lets not confuse recycling with sustainability.
Corian is out there so recycle it.
And for the record Corian is a thermoset epoxy.
My favorite sustainable countertop is cypress, but it's very rare now. My grandfather put huge slabs of it on his counter, but that was 70 years ago. Cypress is resistant to moisture and finishes beautifully, if properly done.
I fix corian with regular two components epoxy, sometimes it difficult to match color and shining, but sometimes it also difficult with natural stones.