CarbonFree® product certification  offers companies a method to quantify, reduce and offset greenhouse gas  emissions

ANN ARBOR, Mich., USA and TROIS-RIVIÈRES, Quebec, Canada (February 25, 2013)  – Bio-Lub Canada Inc., developer of antifriction treatments and solutions for the  ecological and biodegradable degreasing industry, has earned the first CarbonFree® certification in the industry for  its bio-hydraulic fluid from Carbonfund.org and NSF Sustainability, a division  of global independent public health organization NSF International. As a  result, industries that utilize hydraulic processes (automobile, construction  machinery, excavation, farming, forestry and others) now have access to an  environmentally-friendly, carbon-neutral ISO 46 hydraulic fluid.

Hydraulic systems play an important role in our daily lives.  Elevators, forklifts, commercial lawnmowers, garbage trucks, farming equipment,  aircraft flight control systems and construction equipment such as loaders or  bulldozers all use as much as 100 liters (26.4 gallons) of hydraulic  fluid.  Some loss to the environment is  inevitable. With Bio-Lub biobased hydraulic fluid there will be little, if any,  environmental impact. By earning CarbonFree® certification for its BLC 710 bio-hydraulic fluid (in 20-, 205- and  1000-liter packaging), Bio-Lub is helping environmentally conscious  organizations reduce their carbon footprint and impact on the environment. The bio-hydraulic  fluids are made from vegetable oils derived from a renewable source and are also  USDA certified as 96 percent biobased under the BioPreferred® program.

To address its products’ environmental impacts, Bio-Lub  Canada underwent a detailed life cycle assessment to measure the carbon  emissions produced from its bio-hydraulic fluid products sold worldwide. To  achieve carbon neutrality for the products, Bio-Lub offset the per-unit carbon  footprint through investment in third-party validated renewable energy, energy  efficiency and forestry carbon offset projects. These carbon offset projects are supported  through the Carbonfund.org Foundation, a leading nonprofit and developer of the  CarbonFree® Product Certification program, the first carbon neutral  product label in North America.

“Using environmentally friendly ISO 46 bio-hydraulic fluids  such as Bio-Lub’s is particularly important for sensitive environmental applications  such as farming and marine dredging. By earning CarbonFree® certification,   Bio-Lub is taking its commitment to the environment a step further through  offsetting the greenhouse gasses made when producing and distributing the  products,” said Tom Bruursema, NSF Sustainability General Manager. 

“We at Bio-Lub are excited that  our BLC-700 series is the first eco-friendly hydraulic fluid in our industry to  be certified worldwide as CarbonFree® by NSF International and Carbonfund.org,” said Michel Cordeau, CEO of Bio-Lub  Canada Inc.  “Bio-Lub products are  designed for superior performance and  low environmental impact and Carbonfree®  certification is just one more way to validate our commitment to  environmentally preferred products.”

How the CarbonFree® Product Certification Program  Works
The CarbonFree® Product Certification program uses life cycle assessments  (LCAs) to determine the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over a product’s entire  life cycle. GHG emissions (expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents) that cannot  be reduced or eliminated from the product’s life cycle are offset or  ‘neutralized’ with third-party validated renewable energy, energy efficiency  and forestry carbon offset  projects.

A carbon offset is a verifiable reduction in carbon  emissions somewhere in the world other than where the emission is generated.  These external reductions offer clean energy transformation (e.g. wind, solar),  sequestration (e.g. forestry) and clean technology (e.g. energy efficiency).  The projects also offer a range of benefits including conservation, clean  water, job creation and innovation. Credits are generated when a project is  verified and registered – allowing companies to purchase these credits and  offset the emissions produced in the manufacturing and use of their products.  These credits are then permanently ‘retired’ on behalf of the product/company.

CarbonFree® certified products earn the use of the  CarbonFree® mark along with being listed in the Carbonfund.org online  product certification database. The CarbonFree® mark can be found on  a variety of products today, including foods, beverages, electronics and  apparel.

To learn more about the CarbonFree® certification,  contact Dennis Gillan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 734-476-2543, or visit Carbonfund.org and NSF  International’s websites.

AboutCarbonfund.org Foundation: Carbonfund.org is a leading nonprofit climate solutions organization, making it easy and affordable  for individuals, businesses and organizations to reduce their climate impact  and hasten our transition to a low-carbon economy. Carbonfund.org supports  innovative renewable energy, energy efficiency and forestry projects globally  that reduce carbon emissions and help people. Carbonfund.org has worked with  over 2,000 corporate and nonprofit partners. More at www.carbonfund.org.

About NSF International: NSF International is a  global independent organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies  products for the construction, food, water and consumer goods industries to  minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment (nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to  protecting human health and safety worldwide.

NSF  Sustainability draws upon this expertise in standards development,  product assurance and certification, advisory services and quality management  systems to help companies green their products, operations, systems and supply  chains. Product assessments include testing and certification for more  sustainable consumer and commercial products. NSF is also an approved testing laboratory (under ASTM D6866) for  conducting biobased testing. Through its National Center for Sustainability  Standards, NSF also develops sustainability standards for products such as  carpet, flooring and other commercial building materials.

Additional NSF services include NSF Education and Training,  safety audits for the food and water industries, nutritional/dietary supplement   certification, organic certification provided by QAI (Quality Assurance  International) and management systems registrations delivered through NSF  International Strategic Registrations (NSF-ISR). NSF-ISR services include ISO  14001 environmental management systems registration and Sustainable Forestry  Initiative (SFI) and Chain of Custody (COC) certifications.

MEDIA CONTACT: 
Greta Houlahan
NSF International
Phone: 734-913-5723
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Carbonfund.org supports several carbon reduction and energy efficiency projects such as the Truck Stop Electrification system, a project that is supported in part by Clean Air Cab’s fleet emissions neutralization program.

Clean Air Cab is central Arizona’s first carbon-neutral taxicab fleet; they partner with Carbonfund.org to calculate and neutralize the carbon emissions generated by its fleet of Toyota Priuses. 

"We chose Carbonfund.org because unlike most companies selling offsets, Carbonfund.org is a non-profit. Clean Air Cab believes in giving back and we are happy to support a non-profit organization," affirms Clean Air Cab founder, Steve Lopez.

The company started by selecting the Toyota Prius, a fuel efficient vehicle for its taxicab fleet.  A Ford Crown Victoria, the “traditional” taxicab vehicle, produces two and half times the amount of CO₂ per year compared to the 2010 Toyota Prius.  But the Prius still creates carbon emissions, so each quarter Clean Air Cab checks its total fleet mileage with Carbonfund.org to ensure that it has secured a sufficient quantity of carbon credits to completely neutralize fleet emissions.

Clean Air Cab’s mission “to make it affordable and convenient for everyone to go green” is in lockstep with Carbonfund.org.  We are happy to partner with an environmentally conscientious company that provides a carbon neutral transportation alternative to central Arizona communities.

LEI Electronics and EcoAlkalines™ are ecstatic to be able to announce that EcoAlkalines™ Batteries, the World’s first Landfill safe, Certified Carbon Neutral Alkaline Batteries have been certified meet LEED standards.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)® Green Building Program is a voluntary, consensus-based global rating system for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.  LEED was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) with the intent on providing building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations, and maintenance solutions. LEED is based on a credit system and points are allocated based on the potential environmental impacts and human benefits of each credit. Under the current LEED credit system, EcoAlkalines™ batteries can help earn one prerequisite and one point under the LEED category of Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (EBOM) rating system.

For more information on LEED standards visit www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19 

Eco Alkalines™ have been reviewed by a LEED AP third party – Above Green, LLC. Above Green has provided us with a LEED certified technical statement which explains exactly which prerequisites and points Eco Alkalines™ batteries can be used to count towards.

As per Above Green, LLC:

“ EcoAlkalines are the world's first certified carbon neutral batteries. Manufactured with 0% Mercury, 0% Lead, 0% Cadmium – EcoAlkalines™ set the standard for responsible disposable alkaline batteries. Because of these qualities, EcoAlkalines are considered an environmentally preferable product. If you own and operate a LEED Certified building, include EcoAlkalines™ as part of your purchasing policy, and earn points toward certification and recertification of your facility.” 

• Materials and Resources Prerequisite 1 ("MRp1"): Sustainable Purchasing Policy requires facilities managers to develop a comprehensive purchasing plan, which sets goals for the purchasing of environmental friendly products.
• Materials and Resources Credit 1 ("MRc1"): Sustainable Purchasing - Ongoing Consumables focuses on the implementation of MRp1, specifically in the procurement of environmentally friendly ongoing consumables, including batteries.

Carbonfund.org is pleased see one of our Carbon Neutral Certified Products recognized by the USGBC as meeting LEEDs Green Building Program Standards and congratulates LEI Electronics on this achievement. For more information about EcoAlkalines™ please visit: http://www.leiproducts.com/eco-alkalines and to learn more about Carbon Neutral Certification through Carbonfund.org please visit: http://carbonfund.org/offset/product-certification.