CleanGredients® is the definitive marketplace of chemical ingredients whose formulations have been pre-approved by the U.S. EPA for use in Safer Choice-labeled products. CleanGredients is a resource for suppliers to verify and market that their “ingredient” products meet Safer Choice criteria. CleanGredients also benefits formulators of finished products who are seeking to earn the Safer Choice label to market the superior quality of their products. Currently, products carrying the Safer Choice Label are cleaning products for a variety of applications.

The Problem

Consumer and industrial cleaning products are chemical intensive products with the potential for exposure to users via contact with skin, eyes or from inhalation. Also, many of these products may end up in surface waters if used in marine environments or if poured down sanitary drains. Consumers are demanding safer products for use in their homes, daycare centers, offices, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, etc. CleanGredients is the only resource to help manufacturers find “greener” chemistries with which to make their consumer-facing products.

The Solution

Cleangredients was developed to support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Choice Label program. In 2015, the EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) label was transformed into the Safer Choice Label. The updated label helps consumers and commercial buyers identify and select products with safer chemical ingredients, without sacrificing quality or performance.

There are over 2,500 products carrying the Safer Choice label. The Safer Choice logo on a product means that the EPA scientific review team has screened each ingredient for potential human health and environmental effects and that—based on currently available information, EPA predictive models, and expert judgment—the product contains only those ingredients that pose the least concern among chemicals in their class.

CleanGredients has played an important role in the success of Safer Choice Labeling program by providing value to both formulators and suppliers. Suppliers’ ingredients are pre-assessed to meet the EPA’s rigorous criteria, saving formulators money and reducing the time to market for obtaining the Safer Choice label on their products. Suppliers benefit from being able to market their exemplary products to customers who looking for the “greenest” chemicals available.

Why

Significant portion of existing and new chemicals that are introduced in the market do not have in-depth toxicity profiles, and current legislation is inadequate to monitor hazard and risk of many chemical classes. This lack of oversight has resulted in countless chemicals that are used in the formulation of institutional and consumer cleaning products. Material toxicity has touch points all along the value chain of product manufacturing processes and ultimately the hazards can be transfered to end user and the environment during disposal. Working to create a viable alternative market for greener base ingredients and final formulated products is a significant undertaking globally, and hold substantial long term benefits for end users, society and the environment.