ASTM Adhesives Committee Approves Sustainability Definitions Submitted by ASC

Bethesda, MD -- Three definitions related to sustainability submitted by the Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC) were approved by the full ASTM D14 Adhesives Committee at its recent meeting in Phoenix, AZ. The approved definitions of sustainability, renewable resource, and life-cycle assessment will be added to the ASTM document D907 (Standard Terminology for Adhesives) by July.

The approved definitions are as follows:

Sustainability, n-the maintenance of ecosystem components and functions for future generations.

Renewable resource, n-a resource that is grown, naturally replenished or replaced a rate that exceeds depletion of the useable supply of that resource.

Life-cycle assessment, LCA, n-a method for evaluating a product by reviewing the ecological impact over the life of the product.

"The cooperative effort between ASC and ASTM which resulted in having three terms related to sustainability approved for the D907 document in a matter of six months is extremely gratifying, and supportive of industry need for clear definitions in this emerging area" said Mark Collatz, ASCs Director of Government Relations. "These efforts are critical for the global industry to have a strong baseline of understanding when it comes to important terminology and descriptions."

ASC and the D14 Committee will continue their cooperation on developing a definition for the term carbon footprint which is expected to be re-balloted by the members of the full ASTM committee later this year.

The terms approved were initially identified by attendees of the ASCs 2011 Sustainability Summit. Following that event, ASCs Technical Committee undertook a desktop research project and identified existing definitions for each term. The committee then came to a consensus on what they deemed most appropriate for the industry.

Early 2012 ASC submitted the terms to the ASTM D14 Adhesives Subcommittee on Terminology for review at which time they were approved and submitted to the full D14 Committee for ballot.

"The opportunity now turns from a focus on definitions to looking at how this new terminology can be utilized, possibly in the development of best practice or guide documents that can prove to be value drivers for the industry ," notes Collatz.

About Adhesive and Sealant Council

The Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC) is a North American trade association dedicated to representing the adhesive and sealant industry. The Council is comprised of 120 adhesive and sealant manufacturers, raw material and equipment suppliers, distributors and industry consultants, representing more than 75% of the U.S. industry with operations around the world. Offering education, legislative advocacy, professional networking and business growth solutions for its members, the ASC is the center of knowledge and catalyst for industry growth on a global basis for manufacturers, suppliers and end users.