In recent years, public concerns have moved environmental issues to the forefront of America's agenda. The idea of "going green" has gained widespread support across a broad spectrum of consumers and businesses.

Growing demand for building projects that specify environmentally friendly, energy-efficient systems and materials has spurred a green movement in the construction industry. In 2006, an estimated $10 billion worth of green buildings were under construction in the United States.*

At Dunn-Edwards, we've always believed in being green. Our mission to provide the best performing paint and related supplies includes preserving the environment, conserving energy and material resources and protecting human health and safety.

We have long made it our practice to voluntarily initiate policies that safeguard the health of our customers, employees and the public — as well as the quality of our shared environment. In the early 1950s, we discontinued our last remaining lead-based paint product more than 25 years before federal regulation banned most uses of such products. In the 1970s, we reformulated all our water-based paints to eliminate the use of biocides containing mercury — long before the U.S. EPA imposed limited bans in 1990. In the early 1980s, we replaced ethylene glycol (a toxic solvent) with safer, non-toxic, FDA-approved propylene glycol.

And that's just the beginning. Our commitment to the principle of eco-efficiency extends all the way from maximizing paint performance — which gives the greatest protection of building substrates with the least outlay of time, energy and materials — to recycling over 95% of the process waste stream from our factories. We are constantly working harder to find ways to make us even greener.

We are glad to have you join us in these efforts and urge everyone to look for ways to protect and preserve the environment. For more information, see our greener by design brochure, our Profile in Environmental Responsibility and our Green Building Paint Guide which features: Green Seal and LEED products, CHPS products, and Recover Recycled Paint.

* "Green Movement Sweeps U.S. Construction Industry", NPR Weekend Edition, 7/2/06.