This month, Barry’s Auto Body released the list of environmentally friendly products used in everyday operations. The auto body shop, Staten Island hopes to encourage other collision repair facilities to do their part to protect the environment.
By releasing the list, owners Barry and Michele Crupi hope to dispel the notion that sustainable products don’t work as well as traditional chemical based products.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency regulates the auto body repair industry because many of the traditional products used in collision repair contain Volatile Organic Compounds better known as VOCs. When these products heat up or break down, they off gas Hazardous Air Pollutants known as HAPs. Barry’s Auto Body has voluntarily begun using no or low VOC products in its auto body shop, Staten Island and has found that these sustainable products actually work better than traditional chemical based products.
Said Barry Crupi, “The auto body industry is evolving and as shop owners, it is our responsibility to change with it. Besides being a small business owner, I am also a father and uncle. I want to do everything in my power to ensure that our planet is in good shape for the next generation.
“Besides using environmentally friendly products in our daily operations, we also utilize cutting edge technology to reduce the negative impact on the environment and on our workers. I want to share these practices with other auto body shops, Staten Island and worldwide so they can feel confident in adopting sustainable practices without having to assume the risk.”
When asked if no and low VOC products really perform as well as chemical based products, Crupi is quick to answer, “Some work even better. For example, when we used to use oil based products for detailing, we often had customers complain that after only a few weeks, their vehicle wasn’t as shiny as it was when it left the shop. That was a real concern for us so I began looking into it. What I found was that oil based products dried to a deep shine but after a few washes and the sun beating down on it, the oil would wash away or burn off leaving whatever imperfections there might have been in the paint visible. However, when we used water based products for detailing what you see once the product dries is what you get. The luster lasts much longer because the product doesn’t separate in the sun or with washing, it just slowly fades over time.”
The list of proven “green” products and techniques can be found here.