Sure, we hear about hybrids, electrics, and alternative fuel vehicles all the time. But as the auto industry becomes ‘greener,’ it isn’t just about the cars themselves. Car care products, dress-up items, and accessories major to minor are coming to the market in increasing numbers as consumers demand improved eco-friendliness from their rides. Here are just three great examples amid the scores of ‘greener’ car products making their way to auto store shelves and catalogs:
ECO CAR CARE
Eco-friendly car care products are all the rage these days. One of the notable purveyors is Eco Touch, which offers green car cleaning products including its signature Waterless Car Wash. According to the company, its line of car care products are non-toxic, biodegradable, and free of synthetic fragrances and dyes, and do not contain many of the chemicals inherent in traditional car care products like isopropyl alcohol, teflon, fluropolymers, or ammonia. Instead, Eco Touch blends cleaners derived from natural sources like palm, coconut, corn, and soybean, or when natural substitutes can’t be found, they rely on eco-friendly synthetic alternatives.
Among its latest offerings are Eco Touch Tire Shine, Leather Care, and an Interior Car Care Mini Pack. The latter provides five two-ounce interior cleaning products including All Purpose, Carpet + Upholstery, Dashboard Protect, Leather Care, and Window Clear, in a package that fits conveniently in the glove box. Eco Touch, www.EcoTouch.net.
GREEN BLADES
The Tripledge Green Wiper Blade is an eco-friendly alternative to conventional windshield wiper blades that degrade over time and must be regularly replaced. While not the same high-profile problem as millions of tires in landfills, organic rubber squeegee blades are just as ornery in the sense they’re going to be around a long time after their useful life is over. Jamak Fabrication, one of the largest manufacturers of wiper blades, uses a technology that allows its durable, non-petroleum silicone blades to repolymerize back into a raw polymer product at end-of-use, allowing 100 percent of the silicone to be recycled to make new products.
The Tripledge Green wiper blade is designed for long-life and comes with a non-transferable lifetime warranty that’s good for as long as a customer owns their vehicle. Jamak encourages customers to send in old Tripledge Green blades to the company for recycling if their blades ever need to be replaced. JAMAK Fabrication, www.TheWiperStore.com.
NEXTGEN OIL
Promoted as ’50 percent recycled oil, 100 percent Valvoline protection,’ Valvoline’s new line of recycled NextGen oils offer the same mileage guarantees as the company’s conventional oil products. Besides reducing the need for new crude oil, it takes only half as much energy to recycle used oil with today’s advanced CEP (Chemical Engineering Partners).re-refining process compared to using virgin oil. NextGen products will include different weights of conventional, synthetic blend, and high mileage motor oils that cost the same as conventional oils since, after all, Valvoline says they are just as good. In fact, price parity is a plus since environmentally-conscious products often cost more than their standard counterparts.
Valvoline will continue to offer its conventionally derived oils, partly due to the need for consumer education and partly because of the current limited supply of re-refined base stock. The company hopes its NextGen line will represent 10 percent of its products. Valvoline, www.Valvoline.com.
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