any companies are taking environmental responsibility seriously, developing eco-friendly practices and demanding them from vendors and partners. Duncan Aviation, which has an official “Green Team” to monitor and address environmental issues, is no exception. “Duncan Aviation believes that our business practices should make good business sense and be socially responsible. Toward these ends, we launched the Duncan Aviation Green Team to promote green practices,” saysJeannine Falter, Vice President of Business Development.
Members of the Green Team represent a variety of departments from Duncan Aviation’s three main facilities in Lincoln, Nebraska, Battle Creek, Michigan and Provo, Utah. Jeannine says all members care deeply about Duncan Aviation and want to help the company succeed while continuing its quest to always do the right thing. The team is focused on how our business potentially affects the environment and how to best address concerns. The team’s goal is to establish green policies to include curbing the unnecessary consumption of resources, using what we have more efficiently and recycling everything we possibly can. The team is also responsible for communicating with other employees and customers about what actions the company is taking and how we can all implement “green” policies at work and at home.
“The benefits of making ‘green’ decisions are good for us and for those who will follow us,” Jeannine says. “In our business lives, we can often make even bigger strides in reducing our negative effects on the environment. And those changes can help customers by decreasing costs and making work more efficient.”
While being customer focused, all of the Duncan Aviation production departments have contributed to the goal of making the company more “green.” The Paint department presented the most significant opportunity to reduce hazardous materials. Chrome, also known as chromate or hexavalent chromium, has been in the news for years and its threats to the environment and human health are well-known. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have adjusted tolerance levels downward in recent years, which compelled the business aviation industry to make some significant changes to its paint processes as well.
Even prior to the new regulations, however, Duncan Aviation was committed to safeguarding the health and welfare of its customers and team members, so research on chrome-free paint began many years ago.
In 2010, Duncan Aviation received FAA approval for its new, low-chromate paint process. Duncan Aviation now uses PreKote as a pretreatment alternative to the etch and alodine methods previously used and a new Sherwin-Williams primer, which replaces the traditional zinc chromate primer. For more information about chrome free paint process, you can download a field guide called “The Truth About Chrome Free Paint Systems,” written by several Duncan Aviation paint experts at www.DuncanAviation.aero/fieldguides.
Most of the changes put in place by the Green Team are subtle yet significant, Jeannine says, and were identified by having small groups of people around the company question current practices. She says Duncan Aviation has made great strides. Following are some additional ways our greener policies are making a difference.
More efforts are underway to ensure that the products and services we offer are environmentally safe and responsible. The Duncan Aviation Green Team will continue to find ways to help the company do what’s responsible for the environment and is best for our health and well-being.