Concrete Gets the Green Treatment from Cresset Chemical Company

Aside from use as pavers and planters, concrete doesn’t usually find itself associated with the plant-based world. Instead, its associations include elements from urban landscapes: buildings, bridges, sidewalks and parking garages.

Cresset® Chemical Company has set out to make the world of concrete a little bit greener. Cresset has introduced an architectural quality release agent for concrete called Crete-Lease® Bio-Tru® ALL-Xtra with Poly-Release®. What differentiates this product from other form release agents is that it’s made from soybean oil.

“The concrete industry has made great strides in converting to greener, more sustainable products and processes. However, to meet the exacting high visual impact standards of architects, the greener products have to perform as well as traditional applications,” said Cresset Chemical Vice-President Jim Renda. “That was the challenge we faced during the development of the Bio-Tru line. What we have achieved does that and more! Our bio-based products compare favorably to our top-of-the-line architectural release agents.”

But Bio-Tru goes beyond performance — it meets ASTM biodegradability requirements, has an impressively low VOC rating of 5g/L and helps projects secure LEED points toward qualification through these key areas:

• Sustainability
• Efficient use of resources
• Biodegradability
• Recycled content
• Proximity

Cresset has earned the BioPreferred^SM product certification from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for their Bio-Tru All Xtra release agent. This certification involves third-party testing and allows product manufacturers to include labeling that shows their products are federally verified as sustainable.

Companies like Cresset are finding soy to be an ingredient that comes with multiple benefits. With soy, they can develop products that perform to high standards, appeal to modern consumers and even qualify for advantageous programs and certifications.