Today it is nearly impossible to go through an entire day without encountering a “green” message of some kind. Whether a television commercial, political speech, newspaper article or an ordinary discussion with colleagues, it’s clear that our culture is focused on clean, green technology. There is compelling evidence to indicate this transformation is a permanent trend, and has already begun to define paradigm shifts in the coating industry and global manufacturing sector.

We have already seen more focused messaging that defines what exactly it means to be green. Although the definition can be subjective, it can be broadly described as sustainable manufacturing. Specifically, sustainable manufacturing processes have the following characteristics:

· Conserve natural resources;
· Save energy or water;
· Avoid toxic or other emissions;
· Contribute to safe, healthy environment;
· Use products made from salvaged or recycled material.

Clearly, UV coating technology meets the criteria of the first four items stated above. “Sustainable UV” will continue to grow in relevance in the coming years. For UV is not only a “sustainable” technology, it is also, and more importantly, an economical solution. Consumers in a globally competitive marketplace are not willing to pay more for products produced via sustainable manufacturing processes. Manufacturers simply want to pay the same or less for sustainable products, and feel good about supporting the green ideology. The good news is that this is entirely possible.

United States manufacturing has an opportunity to embrace UV coating technology as one component of an overall sustainable manufacturing strategy. “Sustainable UV” will be the topic of an upcoming webinar that will include real-world examples of companies embracing sustainable UV to make their process more efficient, consume less energy, eliminate solvents and emissions, and shrink their carbon footprint as they become more competitive in the global marketplace.

The webinar is hosted by PCI magazine and sponsored by Sartomer, Nordson and Allied PhotoChemical. The event is October 8th, 2008, at 2:00 pm (ET) and will be approximately one hour in length including Q&A. To register, visit http://webinars.pcimag.com.