Hexavalent chromium – it's the stuff that made Erin Brockovich famous, and that might worry the automotive and appliance industries that use it.

The chemical is a fundamental part of the $16 billion decorative chrome industry, which includes everything from car bumpers to refrigerator panels. It's also a threat to the health of workers who handle it or communities where it may leak into groundwater.

VTEC Technologies wants to replace hexavalent chromium with something else - though it won't say just what its replacement is.

But whatever it is, it's non-toxic, and now being tested by potential customers including Toyota and Electrolux. That's according to Peter Vicars, an advisor to the Southfield, Mich.-based company who spoke at this week's AlwaysOn GoingGreen conference in Sausalito.

"This is the green stamp for chrome," said Vicars, who is a fellow at the New England Clean Energy Foundation. Not only that, but it costs about 30 percent less to dispose of than its traditional equivalent, he said.

VTEC started in 1995 as a maker of plastic rearview mirrors, and has been privately funded by founder and CEO Jeanne Housman, Vicars said. Marubeni America Corp., which also distributes VTEC's mirrors, does hold a 15-percent stake.