Durakon Industries, a manufacturer of drop-in bedliners and tonneau covers for trucks, is setting a new standard in "green" corporate initiatives to ensure a healthier, more sustainable world. In addition to their corporate iniatives to conserve energy, reclaim used water and build wetlands at their headquarters in Lapeer, the company is proud to announce that both Duraliner® and All Star® bedliners are being manufactured with almost 100 percent recycled and recyclable material. The new “green-focused” manufacturing process of the company's main product line will greatly reduce landfill waste without any loss to the product's high standards of quality or durability, while reducing the use of fossil fuels in the production of virgin plastics.

Durakon's commitment is to a completely closed loop manufacturing and reclamation process for the company's primary post consumer waste. The reclamation of HDPE plastic, the common material used to manufacture all bedliners, will have a significant impact over time and will prevent 150,000 lbs. of bedliners from entering landfills — greatly reducing carbon emissions in the process.

The company's manufactured tonneau cover, Duracover, is currently being made with a high content of recycled materials and is recyclable. Tonneau covers are one of the top five added truck product accessories for pickups. Durakon's tonneau cover is both a recycled product, and is one of the few accessories that offers a benefit of improved fuel efficiency. A recent SEMA study found that the use of a tonneau cover on a vehicle driving 48 mph will reduce the coefficient of drag by 5.73 percent. This translates to a 1.8 percent mpg gain in fuel efficiency.

Durakon Industries has had a longstanding environmental policy to utilize manufacturing processes that reduce pollution, evidenced by their certification in 2001 as ISO 14001. To receive ISO 14001 certification, a company must commit to an environmental management system that is designed to prevent pollution in all forms, encourage fuel efficiency, and make policies and decisions that effect efficient energy use. It is also one reason why Durakon Industries has not entered into the lucrative spray-on bedliner business, a business that requires emissions of high levels of extremely harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). VOCs are emitted in the paint process and are extremely harmful to the respiratory system. Regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), VOCs have been shown to be fatal without proper protection.

Dennis DeLeonard, vice president of sales and marketing for Durakon Industries, says: "Durakon has always quietly pursued environmental initiatives to prevent pollution, improve air quality and conserve energy. The ISO 14001 certification is an excellent process to determine your overall environmental performance and ensure compliance of all statutory and regulatory requirements. As an environmentally focused company, we are committed to a reduction of carbon emissions to reduce global warming not only in the production of our products with the latest thermoforming technology, but also by keeping liners from ever entering landfills. We're very pleased to report that our distribution network — the Distributor Council — is fully supporting these aggressive green initiatives."

All recyclable Duraliner and All Star bedliners made from recycled HDPE plastic will be identified for the consumer with a decal that will be located on the interior of the liner near the tailgate. The new green bedliners are currently being distributed nationwide. There will be no change to the company's warranty for these new eco-friendly liners.

For more information about Durakon and its green initiatives, visit the company's Web site.