The future through green-colored glasses

My three-year-old niece has a fascination with recycling and recycling trucks. Not garbage trucks, because those are stinky; no, she loves the green recycling trucks that come down the street once a week. According to my other friends with young children, this is common, which leads me to believe that Generation Alpha cannot get enough […]

Special permits for shipping aerosol products

An aerosol product is used to deliver a wide variety of products, which means they are subject to a number of government laws and regulations. The aerosol industry constantly strives to create new products that improve the daily lives of consumers and workers while still complying with existing laws and regulations. Unfortunately, regulations can sometimes […]

The intentional misuse of safe products

My early childhood education occurred in the 1990s, which meant I sat through a number of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) classes. The D.A.R.E. program taught children how to resist the peer pressure of smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and taking drugs. However, now that I’m an adult, I’ve realized that inhalant abuse was rarely, if […]

A look at Household Hazardous Waste

There’s been a significant spotlight placed on packaging waste over the last few years. Government and other stakeholders have introduced legislation and regulations that require companies to make significant changes to their packaging, especially related to sustainability and cost. However, some of these changes have sparked concerns about formulation compatibility, labeling and transportation. One of […]

Updating the Federal Trade Commission Green Guides

The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) U.S Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims Green Guides (Green Guides)i provide guidance to manufacturers and marketers on what environmental claims can be made on a product. During my time working in the aerosol industry, I was told a handful of times that I was preventing sales by […]

Air Quality & Consumer Products

We’re past the point of chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and while Jack Frost still nips at our noses, we’re in full swing of the New Year. As we spend more time indoors during the Winter months, we’re more cognizant of indoor air quality. Research from the House Observations of Microbial & Environmental Chemistry […]

Updating Ingredient Disclosures

I’ve been told more than a few times that I spend too much time in the cleaning products aisle at the grocery store. I’ll admit that I also like the soda aisle because its where I find my coveted, zero-calorie, carbonated beverage of choice, but my time in the cleaning products industry has led to […]

U.S. Ratification of the Kigali Amendment

On Sept. 21, the U.S. Senate ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The U.S. is now one of nearly 140 parties that have agreed to the Amendment to globally phase down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Under the Kigali Amendment, countries must decrease their […]

The focus on post-consumer recycled content in packaging

Recycling is a critical topic—and one that I’ve written about for SPRAY many times. However, one area that I’ve not yet addressed is the marketplace for the production of new manufactured products. While empty aluminum and steel aerosol containers have robust end markets with an increasing demand for more material, that isn’t the case for […]

Returning to normal through global collaboration

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a number of new challenges for all of us. For many, one of the minor challenges was working from home for the first time. While I know several of you reading this article enjoyed participating in Teams or Zoom calls in your pajamas, interfacing with each other separated by glowing screens […]