Eco’s Environmental Practices

In 1998, Eco’s manufacturing facilities were thoroughly inspected by a team from the Washington State Department of Ecology. Shortly thereafter, the inspectors sent Eco a copy of their report noting: “It was apparent that Eco has made significant efforts toward pollution prevention, such as reworking wash waters into subsequent formulations, and reducing its solid waste by using reusable and recycled containers for products.

“Eco’s operations and materials management are exemplary.”

Environmental stewardship has been integral to Eco’s operations for over 18 years. Examples of how Eco demonstrates this commitment:
1. Eco manufactures only waterbased, non-toxic paints and coatings with low to no VOCs (volatile organic compounds) released into the atmosphere. These paints and coatings clean up easily with soap and water; there are no hazardous substances discharging into sewer systems.

2. Eco manufactures highly concentrated stains and paints. Concentrated products save on packaging which would otherwise add to the waste stream going to the landfill. They also help customers reduce shipping costs.

3. Eco reduces waste with a shipping container recycling program. Eco partners with our pressure-treated lumber customers in the western U.S., using 275-gallon plastic totes to ship our stain concentrates. Our customers empty the totes and return them to Eco, where they are thoroughly cleaned, refilled and shipped out to other customers. Over a year’s time, this program removes hundreds of plastic or fiber drums from municipal landfills.

4. Eco minimizes the discharge of manufacturing wash water to the city sewers. We reuse the wash water in our manufacturing process and capture the solids for disposal in a solid waste facility.

5. Eco continually strives to practice source reduction—removing waste in the manufacturing and distribution processes, before the product gets to the customer. Eco’s most recent source reduction innovation is our new Eco Temp-Line Grass Turf-Marking Paint, a waterbased, ultra-concentrated, modified latex marking paint for natural grass fields. We have removed most of the water from Temp-Line Grass and packaged the product in plastic bags shipped in a recyclable cardboard box. This eliminates the 5-gallon plastic pails which would otherwise go the landfill, and reduces the environmental impact of shipping a 50-pound, 5-gallon pail of paint.

6. Eco bulk loads raw materials directly from tanker trucks into mixing tanks to prevent spillage and possible storm water contamination.