3M Becomes Charter Member of the EPA’s
National Lead-Free Wheel Weight Initiative
Kick-Off and Signing Event Highlighted at Detroit’s
Grand Prix
ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The shift from traditional lead wheel weights to more environmentally
responsible lead-free wheel weights got a boost today when 3M Automotive
took part in a signing ceremony for the United States Environmental
Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Lead-Free
Wheel Weight Initiative (NLFWWI) at the Detroit Grand Prix.
The EPA created the NLFWWI as an opportunity for entities engaged in the
manufacture, distribution, sale or use of wheel weights to participate
in a voluntary effort to accelerate the transition away from traditional
lead wheel weights.
“The Environmental Protection Agency is proud
to announce this important Initiative and recognize the contribution of
our partners,” said Susan Parker Bodine,
Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
Response. "By taking part in the National Lead-Free Wheel Weight
Initiative, EPA's partners are helping protect public health and the
environment by phasing out the sale and installation of lead wheel
weights and educating the public about the benefits of alternatives."
3M, a leader in the production of lead-free wheel weights and the only
manufacturer of a composite-based wheel weight system, has never
produced lead weights. By signing the initiative, 3M intends to continue
to produce, market and sell a lead-free alternative composite wheel
weight system, endorse the NLFWWI and encourage the use of lead-free
wheel weights by others.
“We’re honored to be
a part of this EPA initiative and to help continue the promotion of
lead-free wheel weights,” said Tony Stokes,
vice president and general manager, 3M Automotive. “We
feel our lead-free wheel weight system is truly groundbreaking, and our
involvement with the NLFWWI underscores 3M’s
commitment to developing innovative and high-quality products that are
also more sustainable and practical.”
3M’s award-winning wheel weights, made of a
highly flexible and conformable material, can be cut to length to meet
exact weight requirements and fit all wheel diameters. The material is
flexible enough to cut with scissors, yet tough enough to withstand
rigorous durability, weathering, salt spray and salt fog testing to
exceed current OEM standards.
The 3M™ Wheel Weight System is designed to
replace traditional systems that require large inventories of individual
parts. The 3M system comes in a roll with a self-dispensing package that
includes a dispensing stand and cutting device, making it efficient and
allowing for weights to be easily dispensed, cut to the exact weight and
applied, which reduces waste and frees up floor space.
Undercar Digest October 1, 2008
Bridgestone Firestone commits to National Lead-Free Wheel Weight Initiative
|
Firestone
Complete Auto Care™ and Firestone Racing have reiterated their
commitment to improving the environment through eliminating the use of
lead wheel weights. The two members of the Bridgestone Americas (BSA)
family joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the
Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix last week to launch the agency’s new
National Lead-Free Wheel Weight Initiative.
“We’re
thrilled to be a part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s new
National Lead-Free Wheel Weight Initiative,” says John Sheerin,
environmental director for BFS Retail & Commercial Operations, LLC,
which operates 2,000 automotive service store locations, including
Firestone Complete Auto Care, Tires Plus™, ExpertTire™ and Wheel
Works™. “All of us who support this initiative are doing our part to
have a positive impact on the environment.”
In late 2007, BFRC
became the first major automotive service provider to announce the move
away from the use of lead wheel weights. All of BFRC’s approximately
2,000 automotive service store locations are switching to using more
ecologically sensitive, non-toxic steel weights, replacing millions of
lead wheel weights each year. In June 2008, Firestone Racing began
using a non-lead product, the 3M™ Wheel Weight System, for all Indy
Racing League IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights events.
Wheel
weights are applied onto the wheels of vehicles when tires are
installed to help the wheels balance properly and run smoothly. The
weights can fall off and may get thrown onto the edges of roadways,
possibly contaminating soil or water if they are made of lead or
another environmentally harmful material.
“The Environmental
Protection Agency is proud to announce this important Initiative and
recognize the contribution of our partners,” said Susan Parker Bodine,
Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
Response. “By taking part in the National Lead-Free Wheel Weight
Initiative, EPA’s partners are helping protect public health and the
environment by phasing out the sale and installation of lead wheel
weights and educating the public about the benefits of alternatives.”
For
Bridgestone Americas, the company reports that the change to non-lead
wheel weights is just one of many efforts to protect and conserve the
environment under the global “One Team, One Planet” program from
Bridgestone Corporation, BSA’s parent company.
“When it comes
to being ecologically sensitive, we’re all in this together,” says Al
Speyer, Executive Director of Bridgestone Firestone Motorsports. “By
eliminating the use of lead wheel weights on the race track and on our
neighborhood highways and byways, we’re taking a small action that will
have a big effect.”
Bridgestone Firestone Press Release, August 29, 2008
|
