INNOVATION – A LONG ROAD TO SUCCESS

Years of field research, patience and hard work was required to bring Greenzone Termite and Insect Barrier – a brand new concept in termite management – to the Australian market.

When developing a novel pest control product, the journey from idea to market can be a long and challenging one, as regulatory authorities can struggle to determine the necessary requirements. Such was the experience with Greenzone, which integrates bifenthrin with a polyethylene foam to create a product that can be used as a termite barrier, insect barrier or expansion joint filler.

“It really has been a long journey, but from the word go we believed in the product and what it would offer the Australian construction industry,” said Paul Commerford, Greenzone Chairman. “Our path to market has been the result of extensive research and development, driven by multi-industry stakeholder experience.

“The past eight years have seen Greenzone meticulously tried and tested throughout Australia to ensure the delivery of a pest control product that is highly effective, safe and reliable. Since there was no other product on the market like Greenzone, when it came to developing and obtaining government approval for a new Australian termite barrier and insect repellent product, we had to start at the very beginning,” said Mr Commerford.

Greenzone
Installing Greenzone around pipe penetrations in concrete slab construction

The first port of call was small-batch preliminary assessment testing held in Griffith, NSW followed by ongoing field trials completed by Dr Theo Evans in Darwin. These trials were conducted over a period of several years and came at great expense. Other notable assessments included a range of performance testing by Eurofins Agroscience Testing (NSW) and lifetime assessment testing (physical strength and active ingredient retention) with ExcelPlas Polymer Testing Services (VIC).

The research and development of this novel technology allowed Greenzone to obtain patents in Australia, Singapore, China, the US and Europe.

In August 2016, Green Zone Pty Ltd was awarded a government grant under the Accelerating Commercialisation Entrepreneurs’ Program, which was established to recognise original products and assist in their launch to domestic and international markets.

Since then, Greenzone has been successful in obtaining APVMA registration and more recently has achieved CodeMark certification. CodeMark certification is accepted throughout Australia as evidence of compliance with the Building Code of Australia as long as the product is used as specified on the certificate.

The time and effort in completing a challenging development process can only be assessed when the product hits the market and customers provide feedback.

Darwin field trials, experimental units with Greenzone ant caps: corrugated steel cover (B), plastic box with bait wood (C) and test wood (D)

Its easy joint applications and precast panel applications have proven to be of definite value to pest managers such as Glenn O’Sullivan from BG Pest Control.

“Greenzone was absolutely brilliant around concrete tilt ups and concrete panels. It took less than half the time of the physical barrier we normally use and I couldn’t believe how well the product stuck to the panel,” said Mr O’Sullivan. “As well as being a great time saver, we also saved on glue and shooting nails which was a huge bonus.”

Greenzone being used where concrete paving abuts external concrete wall panels

Greenzone can be used across the residential, commercial and industrial building sectors, and is applied in three ways: around service penetrations (used as an expansion foam); in expansion and contraction joints (again used as an expansion foam) and in concrete infill slab joints.

Pest managers interested in becoming an Greenzone accredited installer can visit the Greenzone website.