The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced 30 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winners across 15 states and the District of Columbia, recognizing their achievements in the design, manufacture, selection, and use of cleaners, detergents, and other products with safer chemicals.
The Safer Choice program helps consumers and purchasers of facilities, such as 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.
“Today, 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.
Innovations
Many 2023 Safer Choice partners have shown leadership and innovation in safer chemistry and sustainable packaging. For example, one winner reformulated its floor finishing product to replace per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) with a safer chemical alternative. The reformulated product carries the Safer Choice label and demonstrates that water-based floor finishes can work well without PFAS, an important innovation for the sector.
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. For example, one winner offered free lesson plans for teachers, including those in underserved communities, to empower teachers and students to identify cleaning products with safer ingredients. Another winner increased awareness among Spanish-speaking cleaning service providers through a virtual webinar series.
2023 Partner of the Year Award Winners
- American Cleaning Institute, Washington, D.C.
- Apple, Cupertino, Calif.
- Blueland, New York, N.Y.
- Bona US, Englewood, Colo.
- Case Medical, Bloomfield, N.J.
- Church & Dwight Co., Inc., Ewing, N.J.
- The Clorox Company, Oakland, Calif.
- ECOS, Cypress, Calif.
- Hazardous Waste Management Program, King County, Wash.
- Holloway House, Inc., Fortville, Ind.
- The Home Depot, Atlanta, Ga.
- Household & Commercial Products Association, Washington, D.C.
- ISSA—The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association, Rosemont, Ill.
- JAWS International, Ltd., a Division of Canberra Corporation, Toledo, Ohio
- Jelmar, LLC, Skokie, Ill.
- Lemi Shine, Austin, Texas
- Mighty Fire Breaker LLC, Rohnert Park, Calif.
- North Central Educational Service District, Wenatchee, Wash.
- Novozymes North America, Franklinton, N.C.
- Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Pollution Prevention Resource Center, Portland, Oreg.
- Phibro Biotechnics, a division of Phibro Animal Health Corporation, Sarasota, Fla.
- Pollution Prevention Resource Center, Everett, Wash.
- PurposeBuilt Brands, Gurnee, Ill.
- Roger McFadden and Associates, LLC, Canby, Oreg.
- Rust-Oleum Corporation, Vernon Hills, Ill.
- Sensitive Home, Greenbrae, Calif.
- Seventh Generation, Burlington, Vt.
- Spartan Chemical Company, Maumee, Ohio
- State Industrial Products, Mayfield Heights, Ohio
- Wexford Labs, Inc., St. Louis, Mo.
Learn more about the 2023 Safer Choice Partner of the Year winners and summaries of their accomplishments here.
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