Award winners developed safer products, advanced environmental justice, and reduced plastic pollution.
SAN FRANCISCO โ This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced five winners of the California Safer Choice Partner of the Year award, recognizing their achievements in the design, manufacture, selection and use of cleaners, detergents and other products with safer chemicals.
The Safer Choice program helps consumers and facilities such as schools and office buildings find cleaning products and other products containing chemical ingredients that are safer alternatives for human health and the environment. Applicants for this year's awards were encouraged to show how their work advances environmental justice, strengthens resilience to the impacts of climate change, results in cleaner air or water, improves drinking water quality, or promotes innovation in packaging.
"This week, we recognize outstanding Safer Choice partners and stakeholders who are working to ensure people have access to products with ingredients that are safer for people and the planet." said Jennie Romer, deputy assistant administrator for pollution prevention at EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. "This year's Safer Choice Partner of the Year honorees have worked to contribute to the Biden-Harris Administration's goals of addressing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), promoting environmental justice, and reducing plastic pollution."
The 2023 California Safer Choice Partners of the Year are:
apple (cupertino) โ Apple encouraged the industry to adopt safer chemicals and used safer chemicals in its own manufacturing processes. In 2022, Apple approved 58 new cleaners for use in its supply chain, bringing a total of 133 safer cleaner and degreaser alternatives, and identified 19,000 unique uses of process chemicals. By launching ChemWorks and IPC-1402 (a standard for greener cleaners used in electronics manufacturing), Apple supported safer chemicals across the industry.
The Clorox Company (Oakland) โ Clorox has been a Safer Choice partner since 2007. 84% of Clorox packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable, an increase of 8% from 2021. All Clorox Safer Choice certified products display the Safer Choice label on the front of the container. Clorox promotes transparency and consumer understanding through the SmartLabel platform and standardized terms for more than 800 ingredients.
"Developing products that have Choose Safer or Design for Environment certifications is an important part of Clorox's integrated environmental, social and governance goals that support healthy living." said Lisa Pankiewicz, vice president of global management at The Clorox Company. "Products containing these certifications give consumers the confidence to choose which products are right for them and their families."
ECOS (Cypress) โ In 2022, ECOS submitted three new products for Safer Choice certification, achieving certification for 88% of its product offering and package labeling for 98% of its Safer Choice certified products. In 2022, ECOS developed new laundry and dish packets, concentrated cleaners, and detergent sheets designed to reduce or eliminate plastic packaging and diverted 4,500 tons of trash through waste reduction strategies, supporting EPA's goal to address climate change. ECOS uses 100% renewable energy in its facilities, saving more than 28 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
"ECOS is proud to be named Safer Choice Partner of the Year for the seventh time." said Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, President and CEO of ECOS. โFor more than 55 years, our mission has been to protect the health and well-being of people, pets and the planet by creating the most authentic, sustainable and affordable cleaning products for everyone. โConsumers have the right to know what is in the products they bring into their homes, and we are proud to partner with the EPAโs Safer Choice program to help them easily find safer cleaning products wherever they shop.โ
Mighty Fire Breaker LLC (Rohnert Park) โ One hundred percent of the Mighty Fire Breaker product line is Safer Choice certified and all products display the Safer Choice label on the front of the package. Promoting water conservation, Mighty Fire Breaker's liquid fire suppressant is the first fire defense product to earn Safer Choice certification, creating a new product category for the program. In 2022, Mighty Fire Breaker created a children's book about the challenges of climate change and the importance of reading product labels, looking for the Safer Choice label, and knowing what products contain.
Sensitive Home (Greenbrae) โ In 2022, 100% of Sensitive Home products were Safer Choice certified products and all displayed the Safer Choice label on the front of the package. Sensitive Home includes the Safer Choice label and messaging about the program through its online store, print marketing materials, and media outreach. All ingredients used by Sensitive Home are listed on the EPA's Safer Chemical Ingredients list and/or CleanGredients, a database of chemical ingredients pre-approved for use in Safer Choice certified products.
"We are very grateful to have been chosen again as one of EPA's Safer Choice Partners of the Year for the third year of our existence." said Gregory van Buskirk, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Sensitive Home. โOur mission has been well aligned with Safer Choice from the beginning, and to this day, each of our products is Safer Choice certified. Every time we develop a formula, our question is, honestly, "What would Safer Choice do?" As we strive to improve the lives of the sensitive community (and to 'Heal the World' as a whole), we are fortunate to have such a generous and helpful ally as Safer Choice.โ
Many EPA-recognized Safer Choice partners across the country have demonstrated leadership and innovation in safer chemicals and sustainable packaging. Other winners are reducing plastic use and water consumption by offering their products in concentrate or tablet form. These practices also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of product that must be transported. Additionally, many awardees worked to promote environmental justice through education about products with safer ingredients in underserved and overburdened communities.
a list of the Safer Choice 2023 Partner of the Year Award Winners and Summaries of Their Achievements is available on the EPA website.
Find Safer Choice Products on the EPA website.
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