Paul L. Bechly worked in various positions for E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company between 1980 and 1993, including research and development, engineering, distribution, sales, and product management.

In the early 1990s, Bechly was the driver and leader of an effort to develop and implement a perfluorocarbon (PFC) policy for DuPont and allied industries. Bechly and his team sought to reduce the amount of PFCs - potent gases associated with global warming and ozone depletion - sold as DuPont products, such as Freon, a refrigerant commonly used in air conditioners, and as by-products of its Polymers operations. DuPont accounted for roughly 2% of all PFC emissions, with the other 98% originating from the aluminum industry.

To counter this issue, Bechly organized a roundtable of DuPont technical, environmental, and business representatives, including representation from both the Polymers and Electronics businesses. Bechly also led a team of environmental scientists to study and provide data on greenhouse gases, and their sources, their atmospheric effects, and options for control. The scientists also listed safe substitutes for the harmful gases, described the shelf life of the harmful chemicals in the atmosphere, and provided information about how industry has contributed to the global warming trend. As a result, the roundtable developed a corporate position to reduce PFC emissions where practical, or eliminate them entirely. Furthermore, Bechly worked with the sales and marketing team to develop environmentally responsible sales policy by no longer selling PFC electronic gases to those who did not contain, recycle, or destroy the compounds subsequent to use. The roundtable also worked with the Aluminum Association and related industries to develop similar policy.

In 1991, Bechly and his team developed Zyron, a specialty gas marketed to the global electronics industry that would replace Freon. It became a registered trademark of DuPont in 1993. As a result of Bechly’s work, he was awarded DuPont’s Environmental Excellence Award in 1992.