Safer for the Environment Boat Care Products
Mar 12, 2020
In the late 1970’s myself and a lady friend decided leave our corporate positions to spend 3 years backpacking around the globe.
Already having a bent to being Eco friendly people, this odyssey was a real shock to both of us.
We travelled with a tent through about 75 countries, and being that close to the ground, we were stunned at some of the total misuse of our globe in many of these countries: Rivers on fire, no hygiene other than already polluted streams and yes, bodies floating by!
About 1980 the world issues caught up with us and we had to return home to Canada
Being a boater, I chose to join the Canadian marine industry in 1980 and with my Mechanical/Aeronautical Engineering technician background, began to develop a friendlier water based marine boat care line. We started with Head-O-Matic holding tank care, which we also sold to the major airline, Go Train and others.
We added on Boat Armor boat care, which some of you will remember, by manufacturing and marketing that USA line in Canada for them.
Boat Armor was sold off to another group in USA, so we created, in 1989, our Natural Marine brand.
We decided that my chemist and I could develop water based products to rival the existing solvent based product prevalent at that time on the Canadian market.
We were invited to Ottawa by a branch of the Canadian government to help begin to develop the Eco-LogoTM program, which we did.
In those days, I agree, it was tough to get water based products to rival the nasty solvents, because the raw materials then were not as good as they are today. In many cases, fortunately, we can now outperform many solvent products.
No question; now in 2020 there is a global movement by many to help preserve the environment. Be it by creating new products or looking at the recycling ability of these products.
There are a number of environmental symbols being used in the marine business and it is wise to be cautious of some of these. This is sometimes referred to a Green Washing, when unscrupulous manufactures tuck a green branch or whatever, on their product.
There are a few professional organizations that do try to monitor these rouge Eco-symbols , but it is very hard to track them all. Best to ask your fellow boaters whose symbol you can trust and get their feedback on their results. In our case with Natural Marine we chose to partner with a well recognized national group like your CPS-ECP, to help bring the industry up to Eco-speed.
We work hard at selecting well respected groups in our various industries, like the CPS-ECP to help promote both parties. We do this by, as a CPS-ECP Proud Sponsor, adding the CPS logo on every marine bottle we manufacture. So in the last 40 years there have been 10’s of thousands of CPS-ECP logos somewhere on your marina or mass retailer shelves.
Most of these are promoting our Eco-consumer products and also helping recruit new CPS-ECP members. Existing CPS-ECP members usually can spot these Canadian Power Squadron logos from a mile away!
As Eco-innovators Alex Milne Associates will continue to be a leader in developing key, Made in Canada, Natural Marine and Head-O-Matic boat care products to help give Canadian and international boaters the choice and also help protect my well travelled global environment.
Natural Marine is offering all CPS-ECP members a $20 OFF manufacturers mail-in rebate on any 3 products from their Canadian-made line. Login here for details.
Bill Milne
President
Alex Milne Associates Ltd.
www.alexmilne.com
