Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Soarce ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website soarceusa.org (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal information when you visit our Site, request product samples, contact our team, or otherwise interact with our business. Soarce is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, USA and manufactures nanofiber and nanocellulose composite materials for industrial applications.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data responsibly. This policy applies to all visitors of our Site, prospective and current customers, suppliers, partners, and anyone who communicates with us through our Site or by email. By using our Site, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, you may contact us at info@soarceusa.org or by mail at Soarce, Atlanta, GA, USA.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you interact with our Site or business. This includes:

• Contact form submissions: When you fill out a contact form on our Site, we collect your name, email address, company name, phone number (if provided), and the content of your message.
• Sample requests: When you request a material sample kit, we collect your name, company name, job title, shipping address, email address, phone number, and information about your intended application (material type, target properties, industry sector).
• Email correspondence: When you email us at info@soarceusa.org or derek@soarceusa.org, we collect the content of your email, your email address, and any attachments you include.
• Technical inquiries: When you submit technical questions about our products, we may collect information about your manufacturing processes, equipment specifications, and application requirements to provide accurate technical guidance.
• Business negotiations: During supply agreement discussions, we collect business contact information, company details, purchase volumes, and commercial terms.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our Site, certain information is collected automatically through cookies and similar technologies:

• Device information: Browser type and version, operating system, screen resolution, and device type (desktop, tablet, mobile).
• Usage data: Pages visited, time spent on each page, links clicked, referring URL (the website that directed you to our Site), and exit pages.
• Network information: IP address, approximate geographic location (city/region level, not street address), and internet service provider.
• Cookie data: Session identifiers, preference settings, and analytics tracking identifiers. See our Cookie Policy for detailed information about the cookies we use.

2.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third-party sources, including:

• Analytics providers: Aggregated and anonymized website usage data from our analytics service provider.
• Business directories: Publicly available business contact information from industry directories, trade show attendee lists, and professional networking platforms, used to identify potential customers in relevant industries.
• Referrals: When a colleague, partner, or existing customer refers you to us, they may provide your name, company, and contact information.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

3.1 Providing Products and Services

• Processing and fulfilling sample kit requests, including shipping coordination and delivery confirmation.
• Responding to technical inquiries about our nanofiber and nanocellulose composite materials.
• Providing application engineering support, including recommended processing parameters, material selection guidance, and troubleshooting assistance.
• Managing customer accounts, supply agreements, purchase orders, and invoicing.
• Shipping products and generating certificates of analysis for material batches.

3.2 Communication

• Responding to your inquiries, feedback, and support requests.
• Sending order confirmations, shipment tracking information, and delivery notifications.
• Providing technical updates about products you have purchased or sampled, including material specification revisions and process advisories.
• Sending occasional product announcements, new grade releases, or technical articles that are relevant to your stated industry or application. You may opt out of these communications at any time.

3.3 Site Improvement and Analytics

• Analyzing website usage patterns to understand which content is most useful to visitors and to improve site navigation and performance.
• Monitoring Site performance, uptime, and error rates to ensure reliable access.
• Conducting A/B testing of page layouts or content to improve user experience.

3.4 Legal and Compliance

• Complying with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.
• Enforcing our Terms of Service and other agreements.
• Protecting our rights, property, and safety, and that of our users and the public.
• Maintaining records required for tax, accounting, and regulatory purposes.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

For individuals in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or other jurisdictions that require a legal basis for processing personal data, we rely on the following:

• Contract performance: Processing necessary to fulfill sample requests, supply agreements, and other contractual obligations.
• Legitimate interests: Processing necessary for our legitimate business interests, including responding to inquiries, improving our Site, and marketing our products to relevant industry contacts. We balance these interests against your rights and do not process data where your interests override ours.
• Consent: Where required by law, we obtain your consent before sending marketing communications or placing non-essential cookies. You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal obligation: Processing necessary to comply with applicable laws, such as tax record retention requirements.

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share personal information only in the following circumstances:

5.1 Service Providers

We share information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, including:

• Website hosting: Our Site is hosted by a third-party hosting provider that stores and serves our web content. They process server logs containing IP addresses and request data.
• Email service: We use a third-party email service for business correspondence. They process email content, sender/recipient addresses, and metadata.
• Analytics: We use analytics tools to understand Site usage. These tools collect anonymized or pseudonymized usage data as described in our Cookie Policy.
• Shipping carriers: When we ship sample kits or products, we share your shipping address and contact phone number with the carrier (UPS, FedEx, or similar) for delivery purposes.

Our service providers are contractually obligated to use personal information only to provide the services we have engaged them for and to maintain appropriate security measures.

5.2 Business Partners

In limited cases, we may share your contact information with business partners involved in fulfilling your request — for example, a toll compounding partner who will conduct a processing trial on your behalf, or a testing laboratory conducting material characterization. We share only the information necessary for the specific purpose and require our partners to protect your data.

5.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose personal information if required to do so by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request. We may also disclose information to protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of our users or the public, as required or permitted by law.

5.4 Business Transfers

If Soarce is involved in a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change in ownership or control of your personal information.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Specific retention periods include:

• Contact form submissions: Retained for 3 years from the date of submission, unless an ongoing business relationship is established.
• Customer account data: Retained for the duration of the business relationship plus 7 years for tax and accounting compliance.
• Sample request records: Retained for 5 years from the date of the request, as they may be relevant to future material qualification or product liability inquiries.
• Technical correspondence: Retained for 7 years, as technical recommendations may be relevant to product performance claims or liability matters.
• Website analytics data: Aggregated analytics data is retained indefinitely. Individual-level analytics data (IP address, session data) is retained for 26 months.
• Email marketing preferences: Opt-out records are retained indefinitely to ensure we honor your preferences.

When personal information is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, we securely delete or anonymize it.

7. Your Rights

7.1 Rights Under GDPR (EEA/UK Residents)

If you are located in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, you have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation:

• Right of access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: You have the right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to erasure: You have the right to request deletion of your personal data, subject to certain exceptions (e.g., data required for legal compliance).
• Right to restrict processing: You have the right to request that we limit the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller.
• Right to object: You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
• Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you have the right to withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before withdrawal.

To exercise these rights, contact us at info@soarceusa.org. We will respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

7.2 Rights Under CCPA (California Residents)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provides you with the following rights:

• Right to know: You have the right to request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources of that information, the business purposes for collecting it, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.
• Right to delete: You have the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to opt-out of sale: We do not sell personal information. If this changes, we will provide a "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" link on our Site.
• Right to non-discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.

To exercise these rights, contact us at info@soarceusa.org or by mail at Soarce, Atlanta, GA, USA. We will verify your identity before processing your request and respond within 45 days.

7.3 Rights Under Georgia State Law

As a company headquartered in Georgia, we comply with applicable Georgia state privacy laws. Georgia law requires notification in the event of a data breach affecting your personal information. If such a breach occurs, we will notify affected individuals in accordance with O.C.G.A. 10-1-912.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Site uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience and to analyze Site usage. For detailed information about the types of cookies we use, their purposes, and how to manage your cookie preferences, please see our Cookie Policy.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies. However, blocking essential cookies may affect the functionality of our Site.

9. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our Site.
• Access controls that limit access to personal data to authorized personnel who need it to perform their job functions.
• Regular security assessments of our hosting infrastructure and web application.
• Secure storage of physical records containing personal information in locked facilities.
• Employee training on data protection and security practices.

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but will notify you promptly if a breach occurs that may affect your personal data.

10. International Data Transfers

Soarce is based in Atlanta, GA, USA. If you are accessing our Site from outside the United States, your personal information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction.

For transfers of personal data from the EEA or UK to the United States, we rely on appropriate safeguards as required by GDPR, including Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission. By providing your personal information, you acknowledge this transfer.

11. Children's Privacy

Our Site and services are intended for business professionals and are not directed at individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 16, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe we may have collected information from a child under 16, please contact us at info@soarceusa.org.

12. Third-Party Links

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites, such as industry publications, testing standards organizations, or business directories. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of our Site after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

For significant changes that materially affect how we process your personal data, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you — for example, by posting a prominent notice on our Site or by sending an email to addresses we have on file.

14. Contact Information

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

• Email: info@soarceusa.org
• Mail: Soarce, Atlanta, GA, USA
• Attention: Privacy Inquiries

We will make every effort to respond to your inquiry within 30 days. For data subject access requests under GDPR, we will respond within 30 days and may extend this period by an additional 60 days for complex requests, with notification of the extension.