Useful Tools for Safer Alternatives
It can be challenging for manufacturers and purchasers to avoid chemicals of concern. The Six Classes approach is one helpful conceptual tool that the Green Science Policy Institute developed and has been promoting for over a decade. To prevent regrettable substitutions, this approach suggests avoiding the entire classes of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, antimicrobials, flame retardants, bisphenols and phthalates, some solvents, and certain metals. When evaluating a chemical of concern, the Institute emphasizes the importance of asking whether it is truly necessary and worth the potential for harm. For example, given the substantial evidence that over-the-counter antibacterial soaps provide no health benefit over plain soap and water, there is no need to look for safer antibacterial active ingredients for this product category. However, in some cases a particular function is necessary. For example, solvents provide an essential function for many products and processes. But solvents vary greatly by performance, toxicity and volatility. There are several tools that offer a systematic approach.
CleanGredients was developed at GreenBlue Institute in partnership with the US EPA Safer Choice Program. It emerged in part from a multistakeholder workshop on safer cleaning products, where one participant remarked, “You know, what we need is a list of green chemicals for use in cleaners.” With so much emphasis on toxic chemicals to avoid, product formulators were often unclear about which chemicals they COULD use. CleanGredients addressed this by defining clear technical criteria and aligning them with market drivers. It enables chemical suppliers to identify and market inherently safer chemical ingredients, listed by trade name, to product formulators who use them in cleaning products that qualify for the Safer Choice label and gain preferred status by retailers, governments, and consumers.
GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals is a chemical hazard assessment framework that evaluates and communicates information about the inherent hazards associated with a chemical. Professional toxicology firms conduct the assessments so users can quickly grasp the relative hazards or look more deeply into specific endpoints to inform decisions. GreenScreen established the necessary common language of hazard assessment and was adopted into criteria for ecolabels like TCO and EPEAT, as well as regulations and policy in Washington and California. Additionally, to promote awareness about chemicals of high concern and facilitate transparency, the Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse Chemical Hazard Assessment Database enables users to search publicly available GreenScreen assessment reports.
ChemFORWARD was created to scale access to chemical hazard assessments. The ChemFORWARD platform hosts chemical hazard assessments organized by industry sector and is accessible to subscribers who can search for alternatives by functional class and physical properties. Because high-quality assessments are expensive to produce, a shared repository helps distribute costs. Users can rapidly pre-screen potential ingredients, reducing the cost of removing toxic chemicals from the supply chain later. Additionally, industry sectors can collaborate to ensure that the hazards of chemicals they commonly use are well understood or to look for and assess safer alternatives. Knowing the hazards can help companies avoid the use of chemicals that may eventually face restrictions.
Reliable hazard information alone won't drive adoption of safer chemicals, but without it, better decisions are nearly impossible.