Business garners clean air award
Emissions fell by more than half
Spokane Valley’s Fiber-Tech Industries has earned the 2010 Clean Air Award for reducing emissions at its production plant in the Spokane Business & Industrial Park.
The company makes fiberglass-reinforced plywood that’s used as a building material for walls, doors, truck panels, pallets and containers.
Fiber-Tech received the award for reducing emissions of chemical pollutants by more than 55 percent, according to a press release.
Presenting the award was the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency, which monitors local companies’ compliance with clean air laws.
Beginning in 2000, Fiber-Tech started using new pollution-reduction equipment to cut the volume of its volatile organic compound emissions.
The 55 percent VOC reduction is equal to about 98 tons of emissions each year, according to a press release issued by the region’s clean air agency. Making the difference was the company’s switch to a larger-droplet applicator that reduces the amount of fiberglass gel applied to plywood.
In some cases, Fiber-Tech also worked with customers to replace gel-coat surfaces with emissions-free surfaces on key products.
Last year’s clean air winner was Fairchild Air Force Base.