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The EPA Safer Choice Program and the Cleaning Industry: The Next Big Move
Categories: Cleaning Best Practices, Innovations, Trends & Technology, Straight Talk!, Sustainability & ESG
By Jeff Cross | March 1, 2023 << Back to Articles
Safer Choice is program established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help both consumers and businesses locate products that perform and contain ingredients that are safer for human health and the overall environment. But how does this initiative impact the cleaning industry?
In this episode of Straight Talk!, ISSA Media Director Jeff Cross goes straight to the source as he chats with Jennie Romer, EPA deputy assistant administrator for pollution prevention, and David Widawsky, division director for the EPA’s office of chemical safety and pollution prevention.
The two give Cross a brief history of the program from its humble beginnings in the 1990s, discussing how the program blossomed over the years as it overcame several challenges. Romer and Widawsky also outline how specifically a product achieves the Safer Choice designation, including ingredient disclosure, chemical formulations, sustainable packaging, toxicity, and other scientific benchmarks. And while the initial certification is important, the EPA representatives discuss how ongoing audits assure continuous compliance as the products are constantly rigorously reevaluated by the agency, allowing purchasers to be confident in the safety of their products.
Widawsky and Romer also speak directly to product cleaning product manufacturers on why they should partner with the EPA and the benefits of being one of the more than 2,000 products that are part of the Safer Choice program. Watch or listen to the complete episode below to find out how the EPA’s Safer Choice program can help building service contractors (BSCs) and other end users improve their value proposition and provide a safer workplace for employees and a healthier environment for their clients.
About the Author.
Jeff Cross is the ISSA media director, with media brands that include ISSA Today, Cleaning & Maintenance Management, and Cleanfax. He can be reached at [email protected] or 740-973-4236.
