The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced 43 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winners across 20 states and the District of Columbia, recognizing their achievements in the design, manufacture, promotion, selection, and use of cleaners, detergents, and other products with safer chemicals.
The Safer Choice program helps consumers and purchasers at facilities find cleaning and other products containing chemical ingredients that are safer alternatives for human health and the environment.
“We all deserve to clean our homes, schools, and other facilities with cleaning products that use safer ingredients, like those that have earned EPA’s Safer Choice label,” said EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pollution Prevention Jennie Romer.
Improving Access to Products with Safer Ingredients
Many 2024 Safer Choice partners have shown leadership in developing affordable products that use safer chemical ingredients and work well. Several winners made their Safer Choice-certified products available at low-cost retailers in stores and online. One winner highlighted the Safer Choice label in consumer product coupons. Another winner began reformulating their line of more affordable cleaning products to use safer ingredients. These efforts help ensure products with safer ingredients are accessible to more people at more affordable prices.
Using Products with Safer Ingredients in Communities
Winners also made achievements in protecting communities, including workers. For example, two cleaning service providers, including a minority-owned business, used Safer Choice-certified products in their facilities’ cleaning work. These efforts help protect the workers who use cleaning products throughout the day and the people in the buildings being cleaned. In addition, Tribal and local and national nongovernmental organization winners advanced environmental justice by increasing awareness of the Safer Choice label among Tribal elders and facilities, childcare centers in disadvantaged communities, and Spanish-speaking communities.
Advancing Innovation in Safer Chemistry and Sustainable Packaging
Winners have also shown leadership and innovation in safer chemistry and sustainability. One innovator winner upcycled seafood waste to create two safer chemicals. These two chitosan-based chemicals can be used in wastewater treatment products and are now included on EPA’s Safer Chemical ingredients list. Several winners also reduced plastic use with plastic-free packaging, concentrated formulas, and reusable or refillable cleaning bottles. One winner offers refill cartridges for their reusable cleaning bottles that reduce plastic waste by 83% each time they are used.
2024 Partner of the Year Award Winners
- American Cleaning Institute, Washington, D.C.
- Apple, Cupertino, Calif.
- Blueland, New York, N.Y.
- Bona US, Englewood, Colo.
- Booyah Clean, Harahan, La.
- Case Medical, Bloomfield, N.J.
- Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Environmental Protection Service, Durant, Okla.
- Church & Dwight Co., Inc., Ewing, N.J.
- City of Gresham, Oregon and Pollution Prevention Resource Center, Gresham, Ore. and Everett, Wash.
- The Clorox Company, Oakland, Calif.
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Division of Environmental Health and Sustainability, Denver, Colo.
- ECOS, Cypress, Calif.
- EnvirOx, Danville, Ill.
- Hazardous Waste Management Program, King County, Wash.
- Henkel Corporation, Rocky Hill, Conn.
- Holloway House, Inc., Fortville, Ind.
- The Home Depot, Atlanta, Ga.
- Household & Commercial Products Association, Washington, D.C.
- IndSpyre Solutions, Inc., Lawrenceville, Ga.
- ISSA, The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association, Rosemont, Ill.
- JAWS International, Ltd., a Division of Canberra Corporation, Toledo, Ohio
- Jelmar, LLC, Skokie, Ill.
- Mighty Fire Breaker LLC, Lima, Ohio
- North Central Educational Service District, Wenatchee, Wash.
- Novonesis, Franklinton, N.C.
- Optimal Cleaning Solutions, Stockbridge, Wis.
- Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Pollution Prevention Resource Center, Portland, Ore. and Everett, Wash.
- The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio
- PurposeBuilt Brands, Gurnee, Ill.
- Roger McFadden and Associates, LLC, Canby, Ore.
- Rust-Oleum Corporation, Vernon Hills, Ill.
- SEIU Education & Support Fund, Washington, D.C.
- Seventh Generation, Burlington, Vt.
- Solutex, Inc., Sterling, Va.
- SOZIO, Piscataway, N.J.
- Spartan Chemical Company, Maumee, Ohio
- State Industrial Products, Mayfield Heights, Ohio
- Tidal Vision Products Inc., Bellingham, Wash.
- Toxic-Free Future, Seattle, Wash.
- Toxics Use Reduction Institute, Lowell, Mass.
- Verde, Phoenix, Ariz.
- WAXIE Sanitary Supply, San Diego, Calif.
- Women for a Healthy Environment, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Learn more about the 2024 winners and watch videos highlighting their accomplishments here.
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