UNIQUE’S Dedication to Green Asphalt & Environmental Management

It is the policy of UNIQUE Paving Materials Corporation to manage our organization in a manner that protects the environment, the safety of our employees, and public health. The UNIQUE position is “UPM® High Performance Cold Mix does not contribute to VOC”. Measured values from three independent contract labs (California, Illinois and Florida) as well as the Unique lab (Ohio) verify a zero percent VOC at 500°F following the ASTM D-402 procedure used by most states (read more). In support of this policy our organization will:

  • Comply fully with all Federal, State and Local environmental laws and regulations, including executive orders.
  • Consider environmental impacts when making decisions regarding planning, purchasing and operating.
  • Work continuously to improve the effectiveness of our environmental management programs.
  • Provide training to educate our employees and customers to be environmentally responsible on the job.
  • Establish environmental objectives and targets for performance, and conduct regular internal evaluations to determine progress with our green paving materials.
  • Recognize and reward accomplishments and take corrective actions to address non-conformance.
  • Seek to prevent pollution before it is produced. Reduce energy consumption, water usage and the amount of waste produced at our facility and re-use and recycle whenever possible.
  • Work cooperatively with our customers and suppliers to be environmentally responsible.
green asphalt

UNIQUE Paving Materials, the innovator of high performance UPM® permanent pavement repair material, was at the forefront of looking at environmentally friendly paving materials and products’ eco-friendliness long before “Green” was a common buzzword.

In 1992, UPM mix was the first cold mix to be tested with the 96-hour fish bioassay test.

What is a bioassay test? A bioassay test involves exposing organisms to a product to determine whether or not it is toxic. A specific endpoint (death) is selected for measurement.

This test was run to determine whether UPM mix had any toxic effects (certification E-765). After 96 hours of exposure under water, all organisms had a 100% survival rate.

UPM mix is and will continue to be environmentally friendly, meeting State VOC regulations while giving our customers the performance of a permanent repair to which they have become accustomed. Our permanent repair performance is essential to environmental stewardship, as poor performing products require repeated repairs, eliminating the environmental benefit of reducing VOC.  This is due to increased equipment emissions and failed material to re-repair the pothole or utility cut.  Poor performing material accumulates in sewers and drains, further increasing maintenance and equipment related VOCs. Green paving materials from UNIQUE address these issues and concerns.

Also, in 1990, UNIQUE Paving Materials developed environmentally friendly and safe to use KOLD-FLO® cold applied crack filler. Using a cold applied rather than hot applied crack filler eliminates the use of a hot kettle, thereby limiting vapors and odors from extremely hot asphalt and polymers.

Additionally, UNIQUE Paving Materials recently developed both hot and cold in-place recycling agents, as well as a warm mix additive to help contractors and agencies re-use existing pavement and place new pavement at lower temperatures. These lower temperature products also help reduce emissions.

UNIQUE offers eco-friendly INTEGRA-SEAL® asphalt based pavement sealer in lieu of coal tar based sealers and RAVEL CHECK® asphalt rejuvenation/preservation liquid which helps extend the life of both new and older oxidized and/or raveling asphalt pavements.

UNIQUE also offers a more eco-friendly cold mix production service using our portable pug mill, eliminating the exhaust burner emissions typical of a hot mix plant.

Looking to the future, UNIQUE Paving Materials’ research and development laboratory is working on other “Permanent” and “Green” road repair and preservation solutions to help directly and indirectly improve our environmental footprint. Green paving materials from UNIQUE continue our heritage of environmental responsibility and leadership for our customers, our employees, and our industry.