EPA Announces Five California 2023 Safer Choice Partner of the Year Award Winners

The Safer Choice program helps consumers and facilities like schools and office buildings find cleaning and other products containing chemical ingredients that are safer alternatives for human health and the environment. Applicants for this year’s awards were encouraged to show how their work promotes environmental justice, bolsters resilience to the impacts of climate change, results in cleaner air or water, improves drinking water quality, or advances innovation in packaging.

“This week, we recognize outstanding Safer Choice partners and stakeholders who are working to make sure people have access to products with safer ingredients for people and the planet,” said EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pollution Prevention Jennie Romer. “This year’s Safer Choice Partner of the Year awardees have worked to contribute to the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals of addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), advancing environmental justice, and reducing plastic pollution.”

The 2023 Safer Choice Partners of the Year in California are:

Apple (Cupertino) – Apple encouraged industry adoption of safer chemicals and used safer chemicals in its own manufacturing processes. In 2022, Apple approved 58 new cleaners for use in its supply chain, totaling 133 safer cleaner and degreaser alternatives, and identified 19,000 unique uses of process chemicals. Through launching ChemWorks and IPC-1402 (a standard for greener cleaners used in electronics manufacturing), Apple supported safer chemicals across the industry.

The Clorox Company (Oakland) – Clorox has been a Safer Choice partner since 2007. 84% of Clorox packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable, an 8% increase since 2021. All Clorox Safer Choice-certified products display the Safer Choice label on the front of the packaging. Clorox promotes transparency and consumer understanding through the SmartLabel platform and standardized terms for over 800 ingredients.

“Developing products that have Safer Choice or Design for the Environment certifications is an important part of Clorox’s integrated Environmental, Social and Governance goals that support healthy lives,” said Lisa Pankiewicz, Vice President Global Stewardship at The Clorox Company. “Products that contain these certifications provide consumers with the trust and confidence to make choices on which products are right for them and their families.”

ECOS (Cypress) – In 2022, ECOS submitted three new products for Safer Choice certification, reaching certification for 88% of their product offering and package labeling for 98% of their Safer Choice-certified products. In 2022, ECOS developed new laundry and dish packs, concentrated cleaners and detergent sheets designed to reduce or eliminate plastic packaging and diverted 4,500 tons of trash through waste reduction strategies, supporting EPA’s goal of addressing climate change. ECOS uses 100% renewable energy in their facilities, which saves more than 28 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

“ECOS is proud to be named a Safer Choice Partner of the Year for the seventh time,” said Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, president & CEO of ECOS. “For over 55 years, our mission has been to protect the health and wellness of people, pets, and the planet by creating the most authentic, sustainable, and affordable cleaning products for all. Consumers have a right to know what’s in the products they bring into their home, and we’re proud to partner with the EPA Safer Choice program to help them easily find safer cleaning products wherever they shop.”

Mighty Fire Breaker LLC (Rohnert Park) – One hundred percent of the Mighty Fire Breaker product line is Safer Choice-certified, and all products display the Safer Choice label on the front of the package. Mighty Fire Breaker’s liquid fire inhibitor, promoting water conservation, is the first fire defense product to earn Safer Choice certification, creating a new product category for the program. In 2022, Mighty Fire Breaker created a children’s book on climate change challenges and the importance of reading product labels, looking for the Safer Choice label and knowing what’s in products.

Sensitive Home (Greenbrae) – In 2022, 100% of Sensitive Home products were Safer Choice-certified products, and they all displayed the Safer Choice label on the front of the package. Sensitive Home includes the Safer Choice label and messaging about the program through their online store, print marketing materials and media outreach. All ingredients used by Sensitive Home are listed on EPA’s Safer Chemical Ingredients list and/or on CleanGredients, a database of chemical ingredients pre-approved for use in Safer Choice-certified products.

“We are very thankful to again be chosen as one of this year’s EPA Safer Choice Partners of the Year for the third year of our existence,” said Gregory van Buskirk, co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Sensitive Home. “Our mission has been well-aligned with that of Safer Choice from the beginning, and to this day, every one of our products is certified by Safer Choice. Every time we develop a formula, our question is quite honestly, ‘What would Safer Choice do?’  As we strive to improve the lives of the sensitive community (and to ‘Heal the World’ as a whole), we are blessed to have as generous and helpful an ally as Safer Choice.”

Many Safer Choice partners recognized by EPA across the nation have shown leadership and innovation in safer chemistry and sustainable packaging. Other winners are reducing plastic use and water consumption by offering their products as concentrates or tablets. These practices also lower greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of product that must be transported. Additionally, many awardees worked to advance environmental justice through education on products with safer ingredients in underserved and overburdened communities.

A list of the 2023 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winners and summaries of their accomplishments is available on EPA’s website.

Find Safer Choice Products on EPA’s website.

SOURCE: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-five-california-2023-safer-choice-partner-year-award-winners