EPA Announces Enhanced Standards for Safer Choice and DfE Certifications

On August 8, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced revisions to enhance the Safer Choice and Design for the Environment (DfE) Standard. These changes identify the criteria that products and their ingredients must fulfill to earn the EPA’s Safer Choice label or DfE logo. The updated standards aim to reinforce the requirements for products seeking the voluntary Safer Choice certification and promote the use of safer chemicals in the market.

Safer Choice

Safer Choice promotes the use of chemicals that meet EPA's rigorous standards for health and environmental safety. It allows companies to mark their products with the Safer Choice label, indicating that every ingredient has been thoroughly reviewed by EPA scientists to ensure maximum safety. With thousands of certified products, the Safer Choice label helps consumers easily find products with safer chemical ingredients that do not compromise on performance.

This program makes it easier for consumers and institutions, including schools and offices, to choose safer cleaners, detergents, and other products. The DfE program also helps identify disinfectants that meet high standards for public health and environmental safety.

The updated Standard now includes several key improvements:

• A new certification program for cleaning service providers who use Safer Choice- and DfE-certified products, aimed at protecting both workers and occupants of cleaned spaces.
• Enhanced criteria for pet care products to ensure they use the safest ingredients for people, pets and the environment.
• Updated packaging standards to eliminate intentionally added PFAS and other harmful chemicals.
• Strengthened sustainable packaging requirements, mandating the use of post-consumer recycled content and ensuring that packaging is recyclable or reusable.
• Revised criteria for wipes to include “Do Not Flush” labels that help to prevent damage to wastewater systems.
• New optional criteria for energy efficiency and resource reduction, encouraging the use of less water, renewable energy, and improved energy efficiency.

Design for the Environment

DfE-certified products must adhere to several key requirements:

• Human Health: Products must fall within a specific pH range to minimize skin and eye irritation and exclude ingredients that pose long-term health risks, such as carcinogens or those harmful to children.
• The Environment: Products must meet criteria that reduce their environmental impact, including how quickly chemicals break down and their effect on aquatic life.
• Ingredients: EPA reviews every chemical ingredient, even if it is not intentionally added (e.g., an impurity) or is present in low amounts, before a product can be DfE-certified.
• Product Performance: Sanitizers and disinfectants must demonstrate effectiveness against viruses and bacteria through approved laboratory testing.
• Packaging: Manufacturers must enhance the environmental sustainability of their packaging wherever possible.

More information is available at the Safer Choice program website.