• ECORE Announces Redeux Material Take Back Program
• Reissue Patent for QT Impact Sound Isolation Materials
• ECORE International renews FloorScore Certification for 2011
• QT Offers New Educational Tools
• Dodge-Regupol is now ECORE

ECORE Announces Redeux Material Take Back Program

LANCASTER, PA – April 1, 2011 – ECORE International, pioneer of the recycled rubber flooring industry for over 20 years, is proud to announce its new “Redeux” material take back program. As an advocate for sustainable design and eco-friendly living, ECORE has developed Redeux to further their commitment to reducing waste, reusing scrap, and recycling old products and samples in order to manufacture new.

Beginning April 1, 2011, ECORE customers now have the opportunity to send back old or remnant recycled rubber and cork products for recycling to ECORE’s Lancaster, Pennsylvania manufacturing facility. The Redeux program partners with building professionals committed to environmental stewardship by providing resources to recycle ECORE’s rubber flooring, underlayments, and rubber and cork industrial products after their useful life which will considerably help keep building materials out of landfills. The reclaimed material will be made into new flooring, underlayments, and industrial products by ECORE.

“The Redeux process is incredibly unique due to the fact that ECORE’s products are already made from recycled materials at their inception and now are able to be “re-recycled” again and again,” states Arthur B. Dodge III, ECORE’s chairman and CEO. “We are proud to be able to reuse our waste, reduce the amount of products going to landfills, and recycle; therefore significantly extending the life of each product we manufacture.”

Due to a proprietary process and complete quality control, no integrity is lost manufacturing new products from recycled materials. Quality is held to high standards due to ECORE’s own recycling capabilities, nothing is outsourced. These capabilities also reduce the use of fossil fuels by eliminating shipping to a separate rubber recycling company.

Customers must first submit an application to have their material accepted into the Redeux program which asks questions about the amount of material to be returned and confirms that the material is free of foreign contaminates like stones, wood, concrete, drywall, etc. Materials accepted into the Redeux program will be shipped to ECORE’s Lancaster facility to be sorted, shredded, cleaned and ground for the next generation of recycled rubber flooring, underlayment and industrial products.

All products manufactured by ECORE are applicable. Materials and samples that have been approved to be recycled include: ECOsurfaces Commercial Flooring, Everlast sports surfacing with Nike Grind, Everlast Contender, TRU, QT Sound Insulation, PlayGuard Safety Surfacing, Training Ground with Nike Grind, Pavesafe, and ECORE Industrial branded products. Materials with ECOguard coating, scrim, products installed with ECORE’s E-Grip III adhesive, and products made with ECORE’s patent-pending itstru Technology will also be accepted.

Materials will be taken back and recycled on a case-by-case basis. Unexpected and unapproved shipments will not be accepted. The full requirements for the Redeux program can be found on ECORE’s website, www.ecoreintl.com.

As an active member of the U.S. Green Building Council, ECORE supports sustainable green building policies, standards and practices. The use and reuse of pre and post-consumer waste is foundational to ECORE’s business. With respect for the environment and an understanding that all resources are limited, the company has made responsible development of innovative and sustainable products a top priority.

To join ECORE’s effort to promote awareness, respect of our environment, and support the Redeux recycling program please visit www.ecoreintl.com or email redeux@ecoreintl.com for more information.

Industry-leading recycled rubber manufacturer announces reissue of patent for the QT Impact Sound Isolation technology.

Nov. 23, 2010 - ECORE International Inc., a private corporation and North America’s largest manufacturer of recycled rubber products today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) issued reissue patent RE 41,945, relating to ECORE’s QT impact sound isolation technology. The reissue patent RE 41,945 confirms that ECORE’s reissue patent application satisfied statutory requirements of patentability.

“The reissued patent confirms our position that ECORE has the exclusive right to market the QT family of recycled rubber underlayments,” said Arthur B. Dodge III, ECORE’s chairman and CEO. A leading industry standard for sound control comprised of recycled content, QT is made from 92% recycled rubber and has been tested in over 200 laboratory and field test assemblies. QT has been proven to repeatedly perform as engineered to meet design requirements. The product and engineering support that is provided by QT Sound Insulation guarantees that QT will work as specified, every time. ECORE filed its application seeking reissuance in July 2007 to broaden the claims of the original U.S. Patent 6,920,723 (the ‘723 patent). The ‘723 patent had been involved in extensive and protracted litigation in Pennsylvania since 2006. Certain court papers from that litigation, including allegedly invalidating prior art, were submitted to the PTO as part of the reissue process. The PTO did not find the prior art invalidating and issued the patent today.

About ECORE International:
ECORE International, manufacturer of QT Sound Insulation, has been at the forefront of recycling efforts since its inception in 1989. Twenty years ago, ECORE pioneered the recycled rubber flooring category. Today, ECORE continues to lead the industry in sustainable product development by introducing new products and technologies to further expand manufacturing capabilities and offer more sustainable products than ever before. As North America’s largest user of scrap tire rubber, ECORE processes more than 80 million pounds each year, helping to conserve over one million barrels of oil and keeping over 2,000 trailer loads of discarded tires out of American landfills.
 

For additional information about ECORE International and its portfolio of products and brands visit www.ecoreintl.com.

10/22/2010 – October, 2010 – ECORE International announces that its recycled rubber products have received FloorScore certification for a third consecutive year. FloorScore certification, developed by the Resilient Floor Covering Institute in partnership with Scientific Certification Systems, measures flooring systems according to the stringent indoor air quality criteria established by the state of California. Products that adhere to FloorScore standards are independently certified by Scientific Certification Systems for low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and qualify for use in California’s high performance schools. To meet California state VOC requirements (section 01350), FloorScore requires rigorous product testing. It also entails auditing of the manufacturing site, annual re-certification requirements, product records, and a tangible quality control plan from the organization.

According to ECORE EVP of Sales & Marketing, Rich Campbell, “Gaining FloorScore certification for the third consecutive year represents ECORE’s on-going commitment to producing healthy products and using sustainable manufacturing processes. We make it a priority to ensure our products meet the highest building code standards and support the most stringent requirements for personal health and safety.”

ECORE products feature a combination of PVC-free recycled content and low VOC emissions that allows them to potentially contribute points toward Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Brands receiving FloorScore certification include ECOsurfaces Commercial Flooring, Everlast sports surfacing with Nike Grind, PlayGuard Safety Surfacing, and QT Sound Insulation. Each brand has been certified under “Rubber Tile and Roll Goods” and will retain its current certification for one year, necessitating renewal in October of 2011. As representation, ECORE has obtained registration number SCS-FS-01793.

Click here for more information on FloorScore.

About ECORE International:
ECORE International has been at the forefront of recycling efforts since its inception in 1989. Twenty years ago, ECORE pioneered the recycled rubber flooring category. Today, as North America’s largest user of recycled scrap tire rubber, ECORE processes more than 80 million pounds of scrap tire rubber each year, and helps to conserve more than one million barrels of oil in the process to convert pliable treads into durable product solutions for commercial, industrial, and architectural applications.

For more information on ECORE’s portfolio of brands visit: http://www.ecoreintl.com.

QT Offers New Educational Tools

6/30/2010 – ECORE’s sound insulation brand announces a new continuing education course! QT Sound Insulation, manufactured in the U.S.A. by ECORE International, has announced the introduction of their second continuing education course. As a company that is continually researching new recycling technologies and product advancements, ECORE strives to establish a proactive educational position in each of the industries it serves. For QT, this involves providing certified resources for architects and engineers to further their knowledge of project sustainability and technical procedure.

“We have always maintained a focus on education in our markets,” states Paul Downey, business development, ECORE International. “To make a lasting change in the environmental impact of our industry we have found education on alternative resources and healthy product solutions crucial. We also seek to educate the market on testing, installation, and product variations.”

Several years ago, QT introduced their first CEU course, certified by the AIA (American Institute of Architects) and entitled “Sound Insulation of Floor-Ceiling Assemblies”. As the market begins to gravitate toward an increased focus on sustainability and “green” design, the AIA has implemented new requirements that mandate Architects obtain a minimum level of educational credits from courses that provide “Sustainable Design (SD) or Health, Safety, and Wellness (HSW) credits.” QT saw a need to service architects by providing them with the necessary tools to meet this new requirement.

QT’s first continuing education course, “Sound Insulation of Floor-Ceiling Assemblies,” was highly technical and focused on objectives such as transmission processes, product types, third-party building standards, and sound varieties. Prominent dampening products were assessed in regards to their performance, pros/cons, and test results. While the course contained valuable technical knowledge that is important before specifying any sound control product, it did not emphasize environmental standards and, therefore, did not qualify for the AIA’s new sustainability credits.

QT’s new CEU course, entitled “Recycled Rubber Sound Insulation: Sustainable Benefits,” is approved as a course that contributes to the Health, Safety, and Wellness (HSW) and Sustainable Design (SD) credits. The course is focused specifically on the environmental impact and sustainability considerations of various sound control products. Containing less specific technical instruction than QT’s first CEU course, it emphasizes objectives such as alternative disposal methods for scrap tire rubber, product environmental characteristics, LEED qualification, and specification processes for recycled rubber sound insulation. The courses complement each other to provide a thorough knowledge and understanding of sound control products and their sustainability contributions.

Both of QT’s courses are designed as face-to-face presentations for increased academic involvement and interactive question and answer sessions. The new course, “Recycled Rubber Sound Insulation,” is categorized under #QTSISD and qualifies for 1 learning unit. Registration is available through contact with the manufacturer.

To learn more, click here.

Dodge-Regupol is now ECORE

1/1/2008 –Dodge-Regupol announced today that the privately held business with roots that date back to the mid-1800s has taken a new name - ECORE International, and has broadened its strategic and geographic focus.

The company has operated as Dodge-Regupol since 1989, and prior to that as the Dodge Cork Company. As North America's largest user of scrap tire rubber, the organization has made a thriving business out of finding creative ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. It manufactures innovatively designed cork, cork/rubber and recycled rubber products, which had primarily been distributed in the United States.

Although the company is best known for its recycled rubber products sold under the ECOsurfaces commercial flooring and Everlast sports surfacing brands, it has a diverse portfolio of successful products and businesses. The company produces sound control products under the QT brand, load securement materials under the Transmat name, home gym flooring under the Training Ground brand, equine pavers under the PaveSafe name, and playground safety surfacing under the PlayGuard brand. Its subsidiary units, A-Turf, SurfaceAmerica and SpectraTurf, are leaders in playground surfacing, gymnasium flooring, fitness flooring, specialty surfacing, and artificial turf industries.

With a new name, and growing global appetite for products that are environmentally friendly, ECORE has its eyes set on expanding its leadership as a provider of sustainable materials and systems for global markets. "We recognize that sustainable products and processes form the core of what we already do," said ECORE President and CEO Arthur Dodge III, whose great, great grandfather founded the Dodge Cork Company more than 100 years ago.