Commercialization

EPA has several mechanisms to assist in marketing and technology acceptance. These include technology databases and recognition and incentive programs. Private industry is invited to participate by including their technology descriptions in several of these electronic databases, which can broaden exposure at the regional, state, local and general public levels. For example the CEIT's Innovative Technology Inventory (ITI) database is used by several states and industries as a source of for new environmental technologies.

EPA has several recognition and incentive programs which may assist in increasing awareness and acceptance of new technologies. For example EPA's Energy Star program and its now publicly recognized product labeling can enhance public acceptance of new technologies.

There are also several export tools and services available through export.gov that can assist in locating export assistance, funding, marketing etc.

The Innovative Technology Inventory database, compiled by the Center for Environmental Industry and Technology in EPA Region 1, lists commercially available environmental technologies. The inventory includes points of contact, technology descriptions, performance, benefit and limitation information. For information on how to participate in this inventory see the Letter of Invitation and ITI Entry Form.

EPA REACH IT is sponsored by EPA's Technology Innovation Program (formerly the Technology Innovation Office). It gives users access to comprehensive information about treatment and characterization technologies and their applications. It combines information submitted by technology service providers about remediation and characterization technologies with information from EPA, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and state project mangers about sites at which innovative technologies are being deployed. Those sources together provide you with up-to-date information, not only about technologies you can use to characterize or remediate a site, but also about sites at which those technologies are being used and the service providers that offer them.

As of June 1, 2003, EPA REACH IT contained information about:

Remediation Technologies

• 602 technology vendors
• 1,372 technologies
• 1,558 sites at which remediation technologies have been applied

Characterization Technologies

• 106 technology vendors
• 151 technologies
• 170 sites at which characterization technologies have been applied

How can I list my technology in EPA REACH IT?

You can submit your technology information through the EPA REACH IT site by clicking on the Data Entry button . The system will guide you through the data entry form where you can enter information about your technology. If you prefer to complete a hardcopy vendor information form (VIF), call the EPA REACH IT help line at 1-800-245-4505 or 703-390-0713 to request a copy of the VIF by surface mail. You can download the form from this site by clicking on the Data Entry button and selecting either the "Treatment Technology VIF" or the "Characterization and Monitoring Technology VIF" links at the bottom of the Data Entry login page.

NEET is an on-line repository for information about technologies that prevent, remove, destroy, sample, monitor, or model air pollutant emissions from stationary, mobile, and indoor sources. NEET contains information about technologies for improving air quality that are commercially available, as well as technologies that are currently being developed

VENDINFO is a database of more than 1200 listings of pollution prevention equipment, products and services. Users that know what type of equipment or services they need, and are looking for a source, can search VENDINFO using "Waste Reduction Equipment Classifications."

Users who do not know what waste reduction technologies are available for their manufacturing process can search using an "Industrial Process Classification" keyword and obtain a list of potential technologies. Company and technology listings may be added to VENDINFO - through the following link:
http://es.epa.gov/cgi-bin/eows.pl

ENERGY STAR is a voluntary partnership between consumers, manufacturers, and government united in the pursuit of a common goal: to protect our environment for future generations by changing to energy efficient practices today.

Joining Energy Star allows partners to differentiate their products in the market place, use the energy star symbol to market products, participate in campaigns supporting key product areas, and to add their products to the Energy Star qualified products listing.

Each year EPA and the Department of Energy honor organizations that have made outstanding contributions to improving energy performance through their partnership with ENERGY STAR. The ENERGY STAR awards acknowledge superior technical accomplishments, public education, and ENERGY STAR promotional efforts that result in substantial energy and cost savings and a cleaner environment.Qualified products are available in over 30 categories for residential and commercial use and are 10-25% more efficient than required by the federal standard while providing top performance and innovative features.

See: 2004 ENERGY STAR® Award Application: Partner of the Year – Product Manufacturers (PDF, 5 pp., 107 KB)

Product Specifications & Qualified Product Information (QPI) Forms

The Design for the Environment (DfE) program is one of EPA's premier partnership programs, working with individual industry sectors to compare and improve the performance and human health and environmental risks and costs of existing and alternative products, processes, and practices. DfE partnership projects promote integrating cleaner, cheaper, and smarter solutions into everyday business practices.

The Design for the Environment (DfE) Program is a voluntary partnership program that works directly with industry to integrate health and environmental considerations into business decisions.

The DfE process promotes voluntary environmental improvement by addressing industries' need for key information on how to incorporate environmental concerns into business decisions. The process systematically: Identifies the array of technologies, products, and processes that can be used to perform a particular function within an industry and related pollution prevention opportunities. Evaluates and compares the risk, performance, and cost tradeoffs of the alternatives. Disseminates this information to the entire industry community. Encourages and enables use of this information by providing mechanisms and incentives to institutionalize continuous environmental improvement.

Why Design for the Environment?

DfE provides decision-makers with information, tools, and incentives to make informed decisions that integrate risk, performance, and cost concerns. A DfE project potentially provides many benefits, including: Reduced health, safety, and ecological risks. Increased efficiency and customer acceptance. Improved worker morale and productivity. Reduced regulatory burden. Improved channels of communication, cooperation, and collaboration among stakeholder organizations. Expanded business and market opportunities.

How to participate in DFE:

A business can initiate a DfE project on its own or collaborate with the assistance of its industry trade or technical association. Associations can provide financial resources and share information, including incentives to making changes and the recognition of businesses that have overcome obstacles. If a particular company believes that its industry can benefit from a DfE project, it should bring this to the attention of an appropriate association to see if broader industry interest exists. Associations are encouraged to contact the DfE Program for information on how to either propose a partnership with EPA or initiate projects on their own. Businesses can also design for the environment on their own using the models and templates developed by the DfE Program.

More Info on How to Participate in DfE

Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. Green chemistry is a highly effective approach to pollution prevention because it applies innovative scientific solutions to real-world environmental situations. Promoting this new approach to pollution prevention through the environmentally conscious design of chemical products and processes is the focus of EPA's Green Chemistry Program, an initiative under the EPA's Design for the Environment Program.

For more information see: Green Chemistry Program Fact Sheet (PDF, 2pp., 31 KB)

EPA's Green Chemistry Program promotes the research, development, and implementation of innovative chemical technologies that accomplish pollution prevention in a scientifically sound and cost-effective manner. To accomplish these goals, the Green Chemistry Program recognizes and supports chemical technologies that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances during the design, manufacture, and use of chemical products and processes. More specifically, the Green Chemistry Program supports fundamental research in the area of environmentally benign chemistry as well as a variety of educational activities, international activities, conferences and meetings, and tool development, all through voluntary partnerships with academia, industry, other government agencies, and non-government organizations.

EPA's Green Chemistry Program works with many partners to promote pollution prevention through green chemistry. Partnering organizations represent academia, industry, other government agencies, scientific societies, trade organizations, national laboratories, and research centers.

The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program provides national recognition of outstanding chemical technologies that incorporate the principles of green chemistry into chemical design, manufacture, and use, and that have been or can be utilized by industry in achieving their pollution prevention goals.

The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program invites nominations that describe the technical benefits of a green chemistry technology as well as human health and environmental benefits. The Awards Program is open to all individuals, groups, and organizations, both nonprofit and for profit, including academia, government, and industry.

For more information on how to participate in the green chemistry program contact:
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/greenchemistry/contact.html

Green engineering is the design, commercialization, and use of processes and products, which are feasible and economical while minimizing 1) generation of pollution at the source and 2) risk to human health and the environment. The discipline embraces the concept that decisions to protect human health and the environment can have the greatest impact and cost effectiveness when applied early to the design and development phase of a process or product.

The goal of the Green Engineering Program is to incorporate risk related concepts into chemical processes and products designed by academia and industry. This program targets 4 major sectors: Educators - A Green Engineering textbook, Green Engineering: Environmentally Conscious Design of Chemical Processes has been developed which can be used by educators for instructing "green" thinking in engineering processes and applications. Also, academic workshops have been held for professors and students to disseminate green engineering materials and software. Software - Provides chemical engineers with an integrated risk based suite of tools for assessing chemical hazards in process design. Industry - Continuing education courses from the conversion of academic materials, methodologies, and case studies utilized to illustrate green engineering alternatives in chemical process design for new and practicing engineers. Outreach - Sources, which promote and disseminate green engineering approaches to academia and industry facilitating a continuous flow of information and ideas for new and existing courses, case studies, and process design methodologies, are presented.

To contact or participate in the green engineering program see:
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/greenengineering/contact.html

To participate in EPA’s information transfer opportunities see:
- Case Studies
- Outreach

As the environmental impact of buildings becomes more apparent, a new field called green building is arising to reduce that impact at the source. Green or sustainable building is the practice of creating healthier and more resource-efficient models of construction, renovation, operation, maintenance, and demolition. The many elements of green building include:

• Energy: Designing and operating buildings to use energy efficiently and to use renewable sources of energy, including solar, wind, and biomass.
• Water: Designing and operating buildings to use water efficiently.
• Materials: Using building materials that, in comparison to competing brands, have a reduced effect on the environment throughout their life cycle (e.g. recycled content, low toxicity, energy efficiency, biodegradability, and/or durability).
• Waste: Reducing the waste from construction, remodeling, and demolition.
• Indoor Environment: Designing and operating buildings that are healthy for their occupants.

To find out what EPA is doing to make its own buildings greener, see the EPA's Green Buildings page

For more information on the green building program contact: http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/greenbuilding/contact.htm

CEIT identifies a global demand for environmental technologies and provides guidance to small companies to help them take advantage of these international opportunities. CEIT provides descriptions and links to various international export resources within the Department of Commerce, USAID, and the SBA/Office of International Trade.

The Department of Commerce has a number of web sites and tools that contain information that ranges from general exporting guidelines to specific country market analyses:
http://www.epa.gov/ne/ra/intl/doc.html

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supplies grants to foreign, developing countries. The grant money is in turn used for contracting services and supplies from U.S. companies seeking to do business abroad:
http://www.epa.gov/ne/ra/intl/aid.html

The Small Business Administration (SBA) helps businesses get over some of the hurdles of exporting by providing contacts, market information, and information on financing your export plans:
http://www.epa.gov/ne/ra/intl/sba.html

Export.gov's Export Basics web site describes the seven steps to market your product internationally.

Basic Guide to Exporting:

A Basic Guide to Exporting, which discusses various approaches to exporting, is an official publication of the U.S. Department of Commerce
http://www.unzco.com/basicguide/index.html