April 22, 2025

Innovating for Safety and Sustainability: Engineering Solutions for a Resilient Future

As a Thermoplastics Materials Engineer at Oldcastle, I am deeply involved in developing materials that offer protection in critical situations. My previous article highlighted how Duralite® was created to meet rigorous safety standards and flame resistance tests, all while promoting environmental sustainability. In this piece, I want to share why sustainability is personal to me—something I live every day, especially as I watch the ongoing California wildfires, which bring back vivid memories of the wildfires I’ve experienced in my home state of Oregon.

For me, sustainability is more than a goal—it’s a responsibility that extends far beyond product reliability or durability testing. It’s a mission to respond to the urgent need for a more sustainable world. And that need is more pressing than ever.

Sustainability is a term we hear frequently today. But for me—and for Oldcastle—it’s more than just a buzzword or a checkbox on a list. It’s a vital necessity that’s intricately connected to performance, and it’s woven into every step of our process: from research and development to manufacturing and distribution of products like our Duralite enclosures.

As climate-related events intensify, we feel an ever-growing sense of urgency to innovate in ways that protect our infrastructure—and the people who depend on it, including employees, customers, and communities. This urgency is what has driven us to engineer Duralite enclosures that pass rigorous Flame Spread and Enclosure Heat Protection tests. It’s also what motivates our shift from halogenated flame retardants to a safer phosphorus-based alternative that is better for the planet, its ecosystems, and its people.

Our Duralite composite body offers enhanced protection for critical infrastructure—like valves, switches, and electronics—shielding them from the devastating effects of wildfires. This, in turn, helps prevent water breaks, power outages, and ensures reliable control when it’s needed most. Each design update isn’t just an improvement—it’s a step toward a healthier, more sustainable future.

Duralite enclosures also deliver immediate safety benefits, thanks to their lighter weight and improved maneuverability, which reduce the risk of worker injury on job sites and in distribution centers. This focus on lighter weight and sustainability extends throughout Duralite’s entire life cycle, ensuring that safety and environmental impact are considered at every stage.

Products designed with sustainability in mind not only reduce harm in the short and long term, but they also contribute to a regenerative system where resources are reused rather than discarded. At Oldcastle, innovation and progress are inseparable from sustainability and safety, which is why I take my role as a Thermoplastics Materials Engineer so seriously.

To learn more about our lightweight composite enclosure, please visit our Duralite page.