Environment Canada Updates Environmental Leadership Criteria for Using EcoLogo on Thermal Insulation Materials

Environment Canada Updates Environmental Leadership Criteria for
Using EcoLogo on Thermal Insulation Materials
Formaldehyde-free Fiber Glass Insulation Endorsed; Insulation Manufacturer
Johns Manville Applauds More Stringent Requirements 


DENVER, April 14  /PRNewswire/ -- Following an extensive scientific review,
Environment Canada's Environmental Choice Program (ECP), a leading benchmark of
environmentally responsible products and services, recently updated
environmental leadership criteria for use of the EcoLogo on thermal insulation
materials.  The EcoLogo is the ECP's official symbol of environmental
excellence.  TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, the company that manages the
EcoLogo for Environment Canada, recently announced that, for light-density
building insulation, the EcoLogo will only be available to those made with
formaldehyde-free binders.

TerraChoice and Environment Canada cited the following reasons for the more
stringent requirements for use of the EcoLogo on insulation materials:

   * Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen emitted during manufacturing
     and in the final product of fiber glass and mineral wool.
   * An alternative that is not carcinogenic and less toxic upon ingestion
     and inhalation is currently available and in use for batts and
     blankets.
   * There is a meaningful difference between the risks associated with
     emissions from the production and use of ordinary formaldehyde-bonded
     insulation and emissions from the production and use of formaldehyde-
     free insulation.



Johns Manville (JM), the first and only manufacturer to offer a complete line
of formaldehyde-free fiber glass building insulation, applauds Environment
Canada's efforts to move the insulation market toward greater environmental
responsibility.

"In 2001, JM made the important decision to create a product that both
addresses the health concerns of building occupants and employees, and is
smarter for the environment.  We converted our complete line of building
insulation to formaldehyde-free and we remain the only manufacturer to have
done so," said Tim Carey, manager of product stewardship for JM.  "We knew then
it was a smart thing to do for our employees, customers and the environment,
and the Environmental Choice Program's official decision reaffirms our
conviction that no formaldehyde is better than some."

Previously, the EcoLogo requirements focused simply on recycled content. With
an increased emphasis on demonstrated environmental leadership throughout the
product's lifecycle, the requirements have been expanded to also include
technological and environmental advances in the materials used to produce
insulation.

"In the fiber glass and mineral wool batts markets, more than 70 percent of the
Canadian market now has the EcoLogo," said Scott McDougall, president and CEO
of TerraChoice.  "While this is good news in respect of the improved
performance of the industry over the years, our review has confirmed that there
is a need to tighten up requirements for these specific materials to better
reflect real environmental leadership."

The decision on Canadian EcoLogo adds further momentum to the now widespread
preference for formaldehyde-free building materials and follows the endorsement
of formaldehyde-free materials made by the California Environmental Protection
Agency's Air Resources Board (CARB) and several state green building
organizations.

Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company (NYSE:BRK.ANYSE:BRK.B), is a
leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality building and specialty
products.  In business since 1858, the Denver-based company has annual sales in
excess of $2 billion and holds leadership positions in all of the key markets
that it serves.  Johns Manville employs about 8,500 people and operates 43
manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China. Additional
information can be found at http://www.jm.com/ . 

DATASOURCE: Johns Manville



CONTACT:  Scott DeShetler of Johns Manville, [phone], or

 ; or Cory Ziskind of Linhart McClain Finlon, [phone],

or  



Web site:  http://www.jm.com/ 

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