The team behind Xzilon Green knows that people are looking for more environmentally friendly ways to care for their cars and that the impact a car has on the environment is a huge factor when deciding which vehicle to purchase. Despite this, the producers and manufacturers of automotive products don’t seem to put much thought into the impact their product has on the environment.
Many products designed to clean or protect vehicles contain dangerous compounds, known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which have a negative effect on the planet and on human health. A few companies, such as Xzilon, have created “green” versions of their products, which are formulated without VOCs and designed to perform as well as the original. Finding and using green products is a step in the right direction for the health of the environment.
What Are VOCs?
The Vermont Department of Health offers a simple definition of what a VOC is. It is a carbon-containing substance that turns into a gas or vapor at room temperature. The gas is released into the air, where it can cause a number of problems. Common examples of VOCs include hexane and toluene.
VOCs are found in many commonly used products, including paint, nail enamel, and household cleaners. They are present in gasoline and other sources of fuel, as well as in pesticides and cigarette smoke. Products that are coated in paint, glue or another finish may also release VOCs when they are first purchased and used, such as carpeting, curtains and certain types of wood furniture. VOCs are also common in the auto industry.
VOCs are harmful on several levels. Certain types are known to cause cancer in humans. The kind found in tobacco smoke plays a part in the damage that can be caused by smoking and by secondhand smoke. More simply, VOCs can cause headaches, eye irritation and respiratory problems in people.
Outside, VOCs play a role in the formation of smog. A key component of smog is ground level ozone, or tropospheric. While the ozone that is found in the upper atmosphere protects the planet from the sun’s harmful rays, ground level ozone is a different story. It can make people very sick and can harm plants and wildlife.
Tropospheric is produced when VOCs combine with oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Although smog and ground level ozone is commonly produced in areas where there is a lot of industry and is more common on hot summer days, it can occur at anytime. Worse, smog can travel great distances, pushed along by the wind.
What Consumers Want
Consumers have shown that they want products that are designed to perform better in the environment. Concern about VOCs is high. A 2009 survey from Good Business found that more than 60 percent of drivers expected a greater commitment to protecting the environment from car companies. More than 20 percent of the 1,000 adults surveyed (in the UK) claimed that the car’s environmental features were the most important to them.
Fuel efficiency was one area that customers were looking towards in 2009 when it came to getting a more eco-friendly car. Companies that had a proven track record of good fuel economy, such as Toyota, were thought to be doing the most for the environment, while car brands that tended to focus on overall performance, such as BMW, weren’t considered to be environmentally friendly.
But, being eco-friendly as a car is about more than just the amount of fuel it uses. A number of factors determine the impact a vehicle has on the environment, note the team at Xzilon. Gasoline isn’t the only part of a vehicle that produces VOCs. The products used to coat the car to protect it from environmental conditions, such as acid rain and oxidation, can also produce VOCs and harm the environment. Xzilon Green remains one of only car protection products that doesn’t contain VOCs.
Green Doesn’t Mean Low Performance
One reason why many in the auto industry have been slow to go green has been that many associate green products or environmentally conscious products as being somehow inferior when it comes to performance. Fuel efficient vehicles are often thought of as being weaker or wimpier than their gas guzzling cousins, for example. The same is true of green protecting products and green cleaners. It often seems that the green product doesn’t work as well.
But, that is no longer true. Electric and fuel efficient cars, such as the Tesla Model S, today value performance as much as fuel efficiency. Earth-friendly products such as Xzilon perform as well, if not better, than their standard counterparts when it comes to protecting a car against water damage, insect damage and sap damage.
As a representative from Xzilon points out, “We’ve all been conditioned that purchasing earth friendly products probably means sacrificing performance. Today’s improving vehicles are being developed to be more earth friendly than ever before, but they still have the look and performance that we desire.” Companies no longer have an excuse not to go green, and products such as Xzilon are leading the way to a more Earth-friendly future.