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As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to make updates to its Safer Choice Standards, the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) expressed support but is seeking modifications to what EPA is proposing.
The proposed updates to Safer Choice are the first since 2015. Many ACI member companies participate in the program, whose aim is to help consumers, businesses, and purchasers find products that perform and contain ingredients that are safer for human health and the environment.
“ACI supports necessary updates to Safer Choice standards to ensure the Safer Choice Program remains current with the state of scientific and technological innovation,” wrote Darius Stanton, ACI Director, Regulatory Science, in comments to the agency. “ACI agrees with the inclusion of the voluntary submission of information to encourage leadership and innovation in sustainable energy use and reduce carbon-based energy consumption” but “believes that some proposals require further explanation.”
After reviewing the standard updates, ACI made several requests:
• Clarifications for entering or exiting a product class: “ACI requests that the Safer Choice Program provide an explanation when a decision is made that an ingredient must exit a product class. Although this may be a rare occasion, the justification for the exit - and the requirement that the Safer Choice logo be removed from products - should be clear to all.”
• Primary packaging: “ACI recommends that EPA revisit any packaging standard after the FTC releases their updated Green Guides, so that terms will be clearly defined and consistent with federal commercial definitions to avoid any regulatory confusion.”
• Remove language requiring additional aquatic toxicity data: “Requesting additional ‘aquatic toxicity data for at least one trophic level for the chemical under evaluation’ should be maintained under TSCA’s Existing Chemicals program instead of Safer Choice. ACI recommends that the request for additional aquatic toxicity data be required on a case-by-case basis and maintain the current standard surfactant criteria.”
• Restrictions to enzyme uses: “ACI recommends that EPA clarifies language under the enzymes standard” to remove any confusion over uses of enzymes for any indoor products, “especially laundry and dish applications.”
Read the full comments here.