| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | FOR INFORMATION: |
| December 2, 1997 | Dr. C.T. Helmes, 202-721-4154 |
WASHINGTON, D.C.--The United States Dye Manufacturers Operating Committee (USOC) of the Ecological and Toxicological Association of Dyes and Organic Pigments Manufacturers (ETAD) announced today that the CEOs of the colors businesses of all its member companies have committed to implementing the principles of DyeCareŽ, a product stewardship initiative for dye manufacturers and their customers.
ETAD's headquarters is in Washington, DC where it is affiliated with SOCMA's Association Management Center.
The goal of DyeCareŽ, a program developed by the U.S. arm of the international technical organization ETAD, is to ensure that products sold by its members are designed, manufactured, marketed, used, recycled, and disposed of with maximum regard for health, safety, and the environment. The program integrates health, safety, and environmental concepts throughout all stages of a product's lifecycle. USOC/ETAD members see this as a reflection of their commitment to health, safety, and the environment and as a means of assisting their customers with this responsibility and sharing it with them.
"DyeCareŽ demonstrates to our customers, employees, and the public that the member companies of ETAD are serious about our commitment to superior performance in the areas of health, safety, and the environment," says USOC/ETAD chairwoman Janice Warnquist of Crompton & Knowles Colors. "This program is a step-by-step process that provides for the safe handling of our products from manufacture to marketplace," she says.
As part of this commitment, USOC/ETAD is distributing a new safe handling guide entitled, Handling Dyes Safely: A Guide for the Protection of Workers Handling Dyes. The new guide, which will be available soon in a pocket size booklet, updates an earlier edition published in 1995 and adds new material that specifically addresses the handling of liquid dyes. Copies of the booklet may be obtained from the U.S. dye manufacturing companies who are members of ETAD or from the USOC/ETAD office in Washington.
ETAD is an international technical organization that represents the worldwide colorants manufacturing industry on health, environmental, and other scientific matters. The U.S. dye manufacturers who are members of ETAD are BASF, Bayer, Carey Industries, Ciba, Clariant, Crompton & Knowles, DyStar, Fabricolor, Morton International, and Sunbelt. These companies, collectively, account for the vast majority of the domestic dye manufacturing capacity.
ETAD North America
1850 M Street, NW
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
Tel (202) 721-4154 / Fax (202) 296-8120
e-mail: HELMEST@SOCMA.com