Green Chemistry Innovation Case Study: Blount, Inc.

In 1947, the Oregon Saw Chain Manufacturing Corporation was born with four employees producing chainsaw chains. Today, that company has grown into Blount International, Inc., a diversified international organization with distribution across more than 100 countries and 3,000 employees. Blount provides chains, bars and sprockets for the chainsaw industry, as well as yard care accessories and concrete cutting saws.

Blount continually seeks to reduce its use of toxics, hazardous materials, and waste as part of its journey to sustainability. This led to a partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce the use of lead, a toxic metal. To meet its target, Blount seized an opportunity to replace an electrolytic cleaning process that used acids, caustics, rinse water, and lead anodes to prepare parts for chrome plating. The process generated acid-, caustic-, and lead-contaminated waste, wastewater, and process emissions. 

How green chemistry was used by Blount:

Green chemistry enabled Blount to utilize a new technology that substitutes lead and the other hazardous chemicals for non-toxic and nonhazardous alternatives. But there were barriers: the initial cost of new equipment was high; performance tests of the new process required significant amounts of time and money; and there were space constraints in the existing facility. 

Blount was able to overcome these challenges because of strong support from both staff and management to invest in the technology and comprehensive accounting that showed a total cost savings would be generated from the switch. 

Benefits created by using green chemistry:

• Elimination of 1,400 pounds of lead, 63,000 pounds per year of related waste, and 800,000 gallons per year of hazardous waste water
• Hundreds of thousands of dollars of annual savings in labor and raw material costs
• Increased production capacity within the existing facility footprint as a result of improved process efficiency
• Ability to provide a cleaner, healthier work environment for employees

According to Jason Smith, Global Environmental Manager with Blount, “Our new process is not only better for our employees and the environment, but the cost savings Blount has realized is better for our bottom-line as well.”