DALLAS—VingCard Elsafe, part of the ASSA ABLOY Group, announced that it has phased out the use of brass metal plating and painting in the manufacture of its locking systems, opting instead to use a more eco-friendly process to color stainless steel. These finishes represent 90 percent of the total manufacturing volume and are applicable to more than 50 percent of the decorative parts. The change in materials will have a significant and immediate impact on VingCard Elsafe’s environmental footprint, dramatically reducing harmful emissions caused by the manufacture of brass-coated equipment. Approximately 100 tons of brass metal will be replaced with stainless steel as a result of the switch.
VingCard Elsafe has adopted a new method of metal coloration called physical vapor deposition, or PVD, an environmentally friendly process that involves vaporizing an alloy onto stainless steel within a heated vacuum. PVD requires no chemicals and produces no waste or hazardous materials of any kind, resulting in no environmental impact whatsoever.The PVD process has other added benefits, as well. PVD-treated surfaces have high wear resistance for discoloration, and the stainless steel adds enhanced anti-corrosion properties.
The previous process to create brass-coated doorknobs and latches required either plating or painting, both of which had negative environmental effects. Brass plating resulted in gaseous emissions of alkaline and acid vapors, along with the release of toxic chromium and other pollutants. Brass painting, meanwhile, released volatile organic compounds (VOC) into the atmosphere, some of which could be hazardous when inhaled and which contributed to photochemical smog. In making the switch to stainless steel and PVD, VingCard Elsafe has eliminated chromium waste and VOC dispersals by 100 percent, while sulfuric acid and hydrogen chloride are cut by 90 percent and 30 percent, respectively. Furthermore, stainless steel reduces CO2 emission by 80 percent compared to brass.
Less Shipping, Transportation
Besides eliminating the negative environmental effects of the brass plating process, the move by VingCard Elsafe to simplify its lock manufacturing process has had other related green benefits. By doing away with the need for secondary surface treatments of the locks, new product components are now supplied directly from metal stamping to the point of use in the assembly line. This means less shipping and transportation is required for product manufacture, resulting in a diminished carbon footprint.
Several VingCard Elsafe lock designs required no changes to comply with the company’s green initiatives, including products with satin and polished chrome finishes. Both satin and polished chrome are provided as natural surfaces, with no additional surface treatments necessary.
“The global hospitality industry is a massive consumer of energy and natural resources and, as such, has increasingly focused on green initiatives in recent years, in order to reduce its environmental impact,” said Lars Wittemann, VP of Operations for VingCard Elsafe. “Through adjustments to our manufacturing process and other eco-friendly programs throughout the organization, we are helping our hotel customers around the world to maximize their own green initiatives and contributing to the overall reduction in global warming. As one of the industry’s largest suppliers, we feel it is our responsibility to lead, not only in advanced technology solutions, but also in our commitment to sustainable solutions that help protect the future of our planet.”
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