LAUREL, Md. — The Drycleaning & Laundry Institute (DLI, formerly IFI) is releasing a new white paper on solvents this month to help members make informed choices about the cleaning processes they use or consider. Previewed last month at Clean ’07, the report reveals the association’s new position on perc use.
The association had released charts comparing the available alternatives in past presentations, but felt a more comprehensive evaluation was necessary. Members will receive the new report, Key Information on Industry Solvents, with the July/August issue of the association’s membership magazine, Fabricare.
While DLI’s belief in perc as a safe and effective solvent for use in drycleaning has not changed, its recommendations have. Members considering an investment in a new perc system, the report says, “would be best advised to first consider alternative solvents, and to evaluate them against the difficulties of using perc today.”Key Information on Industry Solvents does not offer an endorsement of any individual solvent, DLI notes; instead, it is an attempt to provide “the critical information that would be used by a member in coming to a decision on whether to use a particular solvent.”
“After a lot of discussion with our board of directors, we felt that the ever-increasing scrutiny of solvents mandated that DLI take a leadership role by releasing to the industry our white paper of key factors associated with every solvent now used by members,” says Bill Fisher, DLI CEO.
The report breaks down each solvent review into four phases: history/background, operational considerations, regulatory considerations and DLI evaluation. It covers perc, petroleum and high-flashpoint hydrocarbons, GreenEarth, liquid carbon dioxide and Solvair, Drysolv (n-Propyl Bromide), Pure Dry, Rynex, and wetcleaning.
“The Drycleaning & Laundry Institute developed this report as a service to our members and by extension, to the industry as a whole,” Fisher says. “We hope the information and guidance offered in the report will help members make an informed decision when it comes to the always-important decision of which solvent makes the most sense for their business.”
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