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Peanut Kernel With all the attention on the green consumer market, a major sector seems to be relatively ignored. Local entrepreneur Marc Trudel is working to fill that void. Judging by the early reaction to the private firm he founded in November, BioCanadian Inc., there is a need for safe cleaning products in the industrial market. "Our mission is to supply tested alternatives for environmentally responsible companies who appreciate and understand the need to use non-toxic industrial chemical products," he said yesterday. His company provides products strictly derived from plant-based materials ranging from soy, corn and palm kernel to peanut, safflower and Canola. Hydro-Québec is one of nine companies nationwide that have signed on with him. BioCanadian helped replace 10 toxic products at the utility's Bécancour generating station with a trio of bio-based chemicals. Trudel is in discussions with other big businesses, such as Via Rail, Bombardier Inc., Air Canada and the Ontario Power Generation electric company. He said there has been a range of interest, from a smoked-salmon processing facility in Prince Edward Island to a pet store in Toronto to an auto shop in Vancouver. "I know there is a lot of green noise right now, but honestly, from what I see, the guys who work day in and day out with chemicals are not getting enough attention. From a company liability point of view, it is a great place to focus some green planning - good for the environment and good for business." BioCanadian is the exclusive Canadian distributor of GEMTEK Products LLC, the Arizona-based maker of bio-based chemicals. "Chemical safety is not just a concern for workers, but has become a major liability for companies who expose their workers to hazardous chemicals," GEMTEK president Kim Kristoff said in a recent statement from headquarters in Phoenix. "GEMTEK has the technology to replace many of these traditional toxic chemistries and will continue to develop and promote alternative non-toxic products that are safe for workers and the environment." BioCanadian also distributes the products of two Ontario manufacturers: CHEMCHAMP of Ottawa and Eco Mist Solutions of Woodbridge. Trudel - who was among the 275 Canadian trainees who this month completed the Climate Project program in Montreal led by Nobel laureate Al Gore to spread the message about the challenges of and solutions to the climate crisis - said BioCanadian offers the widest range of plant-based cleaning products over the largest number of applications. "We want to help solve problems of liability, worker safety, product effectiveness and air quality," he added. "The environmental burden that companies carry is reflected directly in their bottom line, and we are seeing more and more executives coming around to the concept of increasing profitability through broad analysis of that fact."