| Program Name: | Safer Choice |
| Program Sponsor: | EPA |
| Program Type: | Labeling/ Certifications |
| Technology: | Waste Management |
| Fuel: | N/A (Waste) |
| Eligibility: | All businesses that purchase cleaning or related products for which Safer Choice alternatives are available |
| Cost: | Varies by product |
Description
Safer Choice helps consumers, businesses, and purchasers find products with ingredients that are safer for human health and the environment. Safer Choice is an EPA Pollution Prevention (P2) program, which includes practices that reduce, eliminate, or prevent pollution at its source, such as using safer ingredients in products.
Eligibility
All businesses that purchase cleaning or related products for which Safer Choice alternatives are available.
How The Program Works
The Safer Choice label identifies products with chemical ingredients that meet the EPA’s Safer Product Standards. More than 2,000 products currently qualify to carry the Safer Choice label and are searchable on the EPA’s website. Safer Choice products include many commercial cleaners used in institutions and facilities like schools, hotels, office buildings, and sports venues, as well as car care products, laundry products, and more.
Product manufacturers voluntarily participate in the Safer Choice program, but products that carry the Safer Choice label meet the Safer Choice Standard set by EPA. EPA claims to review every chemical ingredient in a product and that each ingredient must meet strict safety criteria for human health and the environment, including carcinogenicity, reproductive/developmental toxicity, toxicity to aquatic life, and persistence in the environment. In addition, Safer Choice products must pass category-specific performance standards, as compared to conventional products. Standards include sustainable packaging measures, pH standards to minimize skin and eye irritation or injury potential, and restricted VOC content to minimize indoor air pollution and associated respiratory concerns.
Contact Information
Interested entities may use the online contact form, or e-mail questions directly to saferchoice@epa.gov.