Green Seal, in response to the overwhelming interest and number of stakeholders involved in the revision of GS-37- the environmental standard for institutional and industrial cleaners - has published the following clarifications and modifications to the stakeholder process:

• All 341 stakeholders officially registered by the posted deadline of Feb. 15, 2007, may provide input on key discussion drafts both during scoping and throughout the entire process.
 
• All stakeholders may vote on the final revised standard. Stakeholders from one incorporated entity or one governmental agency have just one vote.

• Green Seal will review votes to determine sustained opposition within any constituency, or across groups such as manufacturers, facility managers, non-profits, among others. The 21-member Stakeholder Committee representing all 341 stakeholders will work to facilitate consensus among stakeholders, but where it is unable to do so, the Executive Committee (including the President of Green Seal, and representatives from the Healthy Schools Network, ISSA, New York State, TerraChoice, and a leading pediatric health expert from the Medical University of South Carolina) will provide final resolution.

• The Stakeholder Committee will serve as an advisory body throughout the process on issues as needed. The International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA), as a non-voting member of the Stakeholder Committee, will help ensure balanced industry representation.

• The Executive Committee will review the entire process periodically to evaluate effectiveness and make adjustments as needed in a transparent, open manner.

Green Seal’s goal is to develop a standard that inspires innovative, high quality and high performance products that are better for human health and the environment.

The standard development process is designed to provide open and fair public access, providing stakeholders opportunity to review and offer input throughout the process.

The publication of the final updated GS-37 standard is expected in January 2008.