GREENING
YOUR
PURCHASE
OF
CLEANING
PRODUCTS
 
A
GUIDE
FOR
FEDERAL
PURCHASERS
Environmentally
Preferable
Purchasing,
or
EPP,
seeks
the
overall
best
value,
taking
into
account
price
competitiveness,
availability,
regulatory
requirements,
performance
standards,
and
environmental
impact.
Because
purchasers
typically
have
clear
sources
of
information
on
procurement
and
regulatory
requirements
and
well­
established
methods
for
evaluating
price
and
performance,
the
US
EPA
EPP
Program
has
developed
these
purchasing
guides
to
help
government
purchasers
consider
the
environmental
factors
in
the
EPP
equation.
Please
note
that
EPA
is
not
endorsing
any
of
the
products,
services,
or
organizations
described
in
the
guides,
and
has
not
verified
information
provided
by
these
organizations.
For
more
information
about
the
EPP
Programs's
history,
tools,
and
resources,
please
visit
<
www.
epa.
gov/
oppt/
epp>.

Introduction
Cleaning
products
are
necessary
for
maintaining
attractive
and
healthful
conditions
in
the
home
and
workplace.
In
addition
to
the
obvious
aesthetic
benefits
of
cleaning,
the
removal
of
dust,
allergens,
and
infectious
agents
is
crucial
to
maintaining
a
healthful
indoor
environment.
But
cleaning
products
can
present
several
health
and
environmental
concerns.
They
may
contain
chemicals
associated
with
eye,
skin,
or
respiratory
irritation,
and
other
human
health
issues.
Additionally,
the
concentrated
forms
of
some
commercial
cleaning
products
are
classified
as
hazardous,
creating
potential
handling,
storage,
and
disposal
issues
for
users.
Reducing
these
human
health
and
environmental
concerns
is
an
important
incentive
for
implementing
an
EPP
cleaning
products
program.

Why
Green
Your
Cleaning
Products?

Environmental
and
Health
Concerns
NOTE:
The
following
discussion
primarily
addresses
hazards
associated
with
cleaning
product
ingredients.
The
actual
risks
from
these
chemicals
at
typical
exposure
levels
are
often
uncertain,
and
in
many
cases
are
probably
low.
Regardless
of
the
expected
risk
levels,
however,
reducing
the
intrinsic
hazard
of
a
product
is
a
desirable
pollution
prevention
objective
as
long
as
this
can
be
accomplished
without
adversely
affecting
other
important
product
attributes.

°
Cleaning
products
are
released
to
the
environment
during
normal
use
through
evaporation
of
volatile
components
and
rinsing
down
the
drain
of
residual
product
from
cleaned
surfaces,
sponges,
etc.
Janitorial
staff
and
others
who
perform
cleaning
can
be
exposed
to
concentrated
cleaning
products.

°
Certain
ingredients
in
cleaning
products
can
present
hazard
concerns
to
exposed
populations,
e.
g.
skin
and
eye
irritation
in
workers,
or
toxicity
to
aquatic
species
in
waters
receiving
inadequately
treated
wastes
(
standard
sewage
treatment
effectively
reduces
or
removes
most
cleaning
product
constituents).
For
example,
alkylphenol
ethoxylates,
a
common
surfactant
ingredient
in
cleaners,
have
been
shown
in
laboratory
studies
to
function
as
an
"
endocrine
disrupter,"
causing
adverse
reproductive
effects
of
the
types
seen
in
wildlife
exposed
to
polluted
waters.
°
Ingredients
containing
phosphorus
or
nitrogen
can
contribute
to
nutrient­
loading
in
water
bodies,
leading
to
adverse
effects
on
water
quality.

°
Volatile
organic
compounds
(
VOC)
in
cleaning
products
can
affect
indoor
air
quality
and
also
contribute
to
smog
formation
in
outdoor
air.
For
example,
general­
purpose
cleaning
products
have
been
estimated
to
contribute
approximately
8
percent
of
total
nonvehicular
VOC
emissions
in
California.

(
Choose
Green
Report
on
General
Purpose
Cleaners,
Green
Seal,
March
1998;
Green
Seal
Standard
and
Environmental
Evaluation
for
General­
Purpose,
Bathroom,
and
Glass
Cleaners
Used
for
Industrial
and
Institutional
Purposes,
October
2000;
Hormonally
Active
Agents
in
the
Environment,
National
Research
Council,
National
Academy
Press,
1999)

Magnitude
of
Potential
Exposure
°
Cleaning
products
are
one
of
the
most
frequently
reported
products
involved
in
poisonings
reported
to
Poison
Control
Centers
nationally.
(
Litovitz
et
al,
Amer.
J.
Emergency
Medicine,
13(
5),
Sept.
1995)

°
The
cleaning
industry
employs
about
2.8
million
potentially
exposed
janitors.
In
addition
to
these
professional
janitorial
staff,
who
can
be
assumed
to
use
cleaning
products
daily,
many
other
building
occupants
perform
light
cleaning
on
a
routine
or
occasional
basis,
e.
g.
dusting,
wiping
off
desks
and
counters,
etc.
All
building
occupants
are
potentially
exposed
to
the
volatile
components
of
cleaning
products.

(
Green
Seal
Standard
and
Environmental
Evaluation
for
General­
Purpose,
Bathroom,
and
Glass
Cleaners
Used
for
Industrial
and
Institutional
Purposes,
October
2000)

Benefits
of
Buying
Green
°
Choosing
less
hazardous
products
and
taking
steps
to
reduce
exposure
can
minimize
harmful
impacts
to
custodial
workers,
improve
indoor
air
quality,
and
reduce
water
and
ambient
air
pollution.
°
Buying
cleaners
in
concentrates
with
appropriate
handling
safeguards,
and
reusable,
reduced,
or
recyclable
packaging
reduces
packaging
waste
and
transportation
energy.
°
Buying
less
hazardous
commercial
cleaners
may
reduce
costs
when
it
comes
time
to
properly
dispose
of
any
leftover
cleaners.
°
Using
products
that
perform
well
and
that
have
positive
environmental
attributes
such
as
biodegradability,
low
toxicity,
low
volatile
organic
compound
(
VOC)
content,
reduced
packaging,
low
life
cycle
energy
use,
etc.
can
reduce
the
environmental
impact
of
routine
cleaning
activities
while
also
ensuring
cleaning
effectiveness.

Federal
EPP
Authority
and
Mandate
Spending
approximately
$
230
billion
annually
on
a
large
quantity
and
wide
variety
of
products
and
services,
the
federal
government
leaves
a
large
environmental
"
footprint."
However,
by
purchasing
environmentally
preferable
products
and
services,
the
federal
government
can
wield
its
spending
power
to
increase
national
demand
for
greener
products
as
well
as
to
help
meet
environmental
goals
through
markets
rather
than
mandates.
In
1995,
in
response
to
Executive
Order
12873,
EPA
established
the
Environmentally
Preferable
Purchasing
(
EPP)
program
to
encourage
and
assist
Executive
agencies
in
the
purchase
of
environmentally
preferable
products
and
services.
In
1997,
the
Federal
Acquisition
Regulation
(
FAR),
which
establishes
uniform
procedures
and
policies
for
federal
acquisition,
was
amended
to
support
federal
procurement
of
"
green"
products
and
services.
And
in
1998,
Executive
Order
(
E.
O.)
13101,
entitled
"
Greening
the
Government
through
Waste
Prevention,
Recycling,
and
Federal
Acquisition,"
directed
Executive
agencies
to
"
consider
.
.
.
a
broad
range
of
factors
including:
elimination
of
virgin
material
requirements;
use
of
biobased
products;
use
of
recovered
materials;
reuse
of
product;
life
cycle
cost;
recyclability;
use
of
environmentally
preferable
products;
waste
prevention
(
including
toxicity
reduction
or
elimination);
and
ultimate
disposal"
when
making
purchasing
decisions
and
to
"
modify
their
procurement
programs
as
appropriate."

Similarly,
the
Biomass
R&
D
Act
of
2000,
the
Farm
Bill
of
2002,
and
Executive
Order
13134
have
emphasized
the
potential
importance
of
biobased
products
to
national
economic
and
environmental
interests.
Together
these
authorities
encourage
a
strong
federal
role
in
the
development
and
early
adoption
of
biobased
products
and
recognize
the
role
of
procurement
as
part
of
an
overall
federal
policy
on
biobased
products.

Five
Guiding
Principles
To
help
federal
government
purchasers
incorporate
environmental
considerations
into
purchasing
decisions,
EPA
developed
five
guiding
principles.
The
guiding
principles
provide
a
framework
purchasers
can
use
to
make
environmentally
preferable
purchases.
The
five
principles
are:
1.
Include
environmental
factors
as
well
as
traditional
considerations
of
price
and
performance
as
part
of
the
normal
purchasing
process.
2.
Emphasize
pollution
prevention
early
in
the
purchasing
process.
3.
Examine
multiple
environmental
attributes
throughout
a
product's
or
service's
life
cycle.
4.
Compare
relative
environmental
impacts
when
selecting
products
and
services.
5.
Collect
and
base
purchasing
decisions
on
accurate
and
meaningful
information
about
environmental
performance.
For
more
information,
go
to
the
five
guiding
principles
on
EPA's
EPP
Web
site
at
<
www.
epa.
gov/
oppt/
epp/
fivegp.
htm>.

What
Can
You
Do?
Ask
manufacturers
if
they
have
conducted
life
cycle
studies
on
their
products.
In
the
absence
of
comprehensive
life
cycle
data,
purchasers
must
simply
make
the
best
decision
possible
with
the
limited
information
available.
Recall
that
the
overall
best
value
takes
into
account
price,
availability,
regulatory
requirements,
performance,
and
environmental
impact.
Purchasers
should
examine
as
many
relevant
product
attributes
as
possible,
recognizing
that
tradeoffs
are
inevitable.
For
example,
one
product
may
be
made
with
renewable
resources
(
a
desirable
characteristic),
while
another
product
has
a
lower
VOC
content
(
also
a
desirable
characteristic).

Purchasers
have
to
make
a
decision
about
the
overall
best
value,
taking
into
account
their
own
organization's
policies
and
priorities.
Purchasers
should
be
especially
careful
in
interpreting
vague
or
generic
claims
such
as
"
environmentally
friendly,"
"
eco
safe,"
etc.
Guidance
on
the
use
and
interpretation
of
environmental
marketing
claims
is
available
from
the
Federal
Trade
Commission
at
www.
ftc.
gov.

So
how
can
you
make
an
informed
purchasing
decision?
Try
this
list
of
attributes
considered,
in
addition
to
price
and
performance,
when
selecting
environmentally
preferable
cleaning
products.
Many
organizations
incorporate
some
of
these
attributes
into
their
cleaning
service
contract
specifications.

Corporate
Environmental
Performance
°
Does
the
company
have
a
formal
environmental
management
system,
e.
g.
steps
to
reduce
waste
and
emissions,
efficient
use
of
energy
and
materials,
etc.?
°
Does
the
company
have
ISO
14001
certification?

Product
Content
and
Use
°
Minimal
presence
of
or
exposure
to
potentially
harmful
chemicals,
such
as:
 
Corrosive
or
strongly
irritating
substances.
 
Substances
classified
as
known
or
likely
human
carcinogens
or
reproductive
toxicants
by
authorities
such
as
the
National
Toxicology
Program,
the
U.
S.
EPA,
the
International
Agency
for
Research
on
Cancer
or
the
State
of
California.
 
Ozone­
depleting
compounds
as
listed
in
Clear
Air
Act
regulations.
 
Regulated
hazardous
materials
(
e.
g.
products
classified
as
hazardous
waste;
products
that
trigger
OSHA
hazard
communication
requirements).
°
Use
of
renewable
resources,
such
as
biobased
solvents
from
citrus,
seed,
vegetable,
and
pine
oils.
°
Low
VOC
content
°
Biodegradable
by
standard
methods
and
definitions,
e.
g.
OECD
ready
biodegradability
°
Low
aquatic
toxicity,
e.
g.
LC
50
or
EC
50
>
10
mg/
L
(
chronic)
°
Low
flammability,
e.
g.
flash
point
>
200

F
°
Designed
for
use
in
cold
water
°
Limit
the
use
of
disinfectant
products
to
applications
where
it
is
important
to
control
infectious
agents.
Many
types
of
general
purpose
cleaning
do
not
require
the
use
of
disinfectants.

Product
Packaging
and
Shipping
°
Concentrated
formulas
with
appropriate
handling
safeguards
°
Efficient
packaging,
e.
g.
light
weight,
reduced
volume
°
Recyclable
packaging
°
Recycled­
content
packaging
°
Refillable
bottles
°
Pump
sprays
rather
than
aerosols
°
Packaging
and
dilution
systems
designed
to
reduce
exposure
to
product
°
Products
shipped
in
bulk
°
Clear
labeling
and
information
on
use
and
disposal
°
Training
on
proper
use
of
product.

Contacts
and
Resources
The
City
of
Santa
Monica,
California
Santa
Monica
has
been
a
leader
in
green
purchasing
and
their
contract
specifications
have
served
as
a
model
for
specifications
developed
by
a
number
of
other
local,
state,
and
federal
institutions.
<
http://
pen.
ci.
santa­
monica.
ca.
us/
environment/
policy/
purchasing/
bidspecs.
htm>,
or
visit
the
EPP
Program's
case
study
on
the
city's
success
at
<
www.
epa.
gov/
oppt/
epp/
pdfs/
santa.
pdf>.

Perrigo
Perrigo,
a
leading
manufacturer
of
generic
and
"
store
brand"
consumer
products,
wanted
to
minimize
the
environmental
impact
of
the
cleaning
services
in
its
facility.
After
reviewing
material
safety
data
sheets
and
interviewing
a
number
of
suppliers,
Perrigo
developed
a
list
of
desirable
product
attributes,
including
environmental
factors,
cleaning
effectiveness,
and
price.
For
more
information,
visit
the
EPP
Program's
case
study,
Private
Sector
Pioneers,
at
<
www.
epa.
gov/
oppt/
epp/
pdfs/
privsect.
pdf>.

The
National
Park
Service
The
National
Park
Service
(
NPS)
conducted
a
comprehensive
evaluation
of
the
janitorial
products
and
work
practices
used
at
Grand
Teton
and
Yellowstone
National
Parks,
including
the
management
and
training
issues
associated
with
this
"
greening"
initiative.
<
http://
www.
epa.
gov/
oppt/
epp/
documents/
doccase.
htm>

Department
of
Interior
Headquarters
The
Department
of
the
Interior
(
DOI)
included
environmental
preferability
as
a
major
factor
in
the
selection
of
the
new
janitorial
services
contractor
for
its
headquarters
buildings.
<
www.
epa.
gov/
oppt/
epp/
ppg/
case/
doicase.
htm>

Janitorial
Products
Pollution
Prevention
Project
Sponsored
by
the
US
EPA,
Cal
EPA,
and
several
cities
and
counties
in
California,
this
project
has
developed
guidance
and
information
resources
that
address
a
range
topics
related
to
janitorial
products
and
work
practices.
<
www.
westp2net.
org/
janitorial/
jp4.
cfm>

Commonwealth
of
Massachusetts
Describes
in
detail
the
process
Massachusetts
used
to
identify
environmentally
preferable
cleaning
products
and
establish
state
purchasing
specifications.<
www.
state.
ma.
us/
osd/
enviro/
products/
cleaning.
htm>.

State
of
Minnesota
Provides
comprehensive
information
on
the
process
Minnesota
used
to
evaluate
the
environmental
preferability
of
cleaning
products.
<
www.
moea.
state.
mn.
us/
lc/
purchasing/
cleaners.
cfm>.

King
County,
Washington
Includes
excerpts
from
the
county's
1996
environmentally
preferable
cleaning
specifications.
<
www.
metrokc.
gov/
procure/
green/>.

Canada's
Environmental
Choice
Program
Includes
a
copy
of
the
specifications
for
earning
Environment
Canada's
EcoLogo
for
industrial
and
commercial
cleaners.
<
www.
environmentalchoice.
com/
products.
cfm?
cat=
5>.

U.
S.
General
Services
Administration
Cleaning
Products
Catalog
Provides
environmental
attribute
information
on
cleaning
products
available
through
the
U.
S.
General
Services
Administration,
the
federal
government's
primary
supplier.
(
Go
to
www.
gsa.
gov
and
follow
links
to
Products>
Food
service,
hospitality
&
cleaning>
Cleaning
equipment,
accessories,
janitorial
supplies,
cleaning
chemicals
and
sorbents)

Soap
and
Detergent
Association
Contains
information
on
a
wide
range
of
topics
related
to
cleaning
products,
including
health,
safety,
and
environmental
issues.
<
http://
www.
cleaning101.
com/>

Green
Seal
Contains
Green
Seal's
environmental
preferability
standards
for
industrial
and
institutional
cleaners.
The
Web
site
also
includes
the
earlier
standard
and
Choose
Green
Report
for
household
cleaners.
<
www.
greenseal.
org>

Washington
Toxics
Coalition
This
organization
provides
information
regarding
public
health
and
environmental
issues
associated
with
a
variety
of
products,
including
cleaners.
<
www.
watoxics.
org>

INFORM,
Inc.
Issued
a
comprehensive
guide
to
environmentally
preferable
cleaning
products
and
methods
that
have
been
effectively
used
in
office
buildings,
schools,
and
hospitals
in
the
United
States
and
Canada.
<
http://
www.
informinc.
org/
cleanforhealth.
php>

Center
for
a
New
American
Dream
The
Center's
Cleaning
Products
Work
Group
convened
a
group
of
state
and
local
officials
who
agreed
upon
a
set
of
mandatory
and
desirable
environmental
criteria
for
cleaning
products.
<
http://
www.
newdream.
org/
procure/
products/
cleaners.
html>
<
http://
www.
newdream.
org/
procure/
products/
approved.
html>

EPA's
Purchasing
Tool
Suite
EPA's
EPP
Program
has
developed
the
following
Web­
based
tools
to
help
purchasers
consider
the
environment,
along
with
price
and
performance,
when
buying
a
product
or
service.

Cleaning
Product
Attributes
Ranking
Tool
 
An
interactive
tool
that
helps
the
user
choose
a
greener
cleaning
product
by
prioritizing
environmental
attributes
(
e.
g.,
skin
irritation
potential,
VOCs,
recycled
packaging).
<
www.
epa.
gov/
oppt/
epp/
cleaners/
select/>

Database
of
Environmental
Information
for
Products
and
Services
 
A
searchable
database
of
product­
specific
information
(
e.
g.,
environmental
standards
and
guidelines
or
contract
language)
developed
by
government
programs,
both
domestic
and
foreign,
as
well
as
third
parties.
<
www.
epa.
gov/
oppt/
epp/
database.
htm>
Promising
Practices
Guide
for
Greener
Contracts
 
A
series
of
short
case
studies
highlighting
successful
strategies
for
incorporating
environmental
factors
into
a
variety
of
product
and
service
contracts.
<
www.
epa.
gov/
oppt/
epp/
ppg>

General
EPP
Training
Tool
 
Covers
basic
EPP
principles
and
mandates,
along
with
some
more
in­
depth
applications
of
EPP,
in
an
entertaining
and
multimedia
format.
<
www.
epa.
gov/
oppt/
epp/
gentt/>

Tips
for
Buying
Green
with
the
Government
Credit
Card
 
Tips
to
help
government
credit
card
holders
make
greener
choices
when
buying
products,
such
as
cleaning
products.
<
www.
epa.
gov/
oppt/
epp/
creditcard.
htm>

For
additional
information
on
environmentally
preferable
cleaning
products,
contact
Jim
Darr
of
EPA
at
202­
564­
8841,
or
by
e­
mail
at
<
darr.
james@
epa.
gov>
.
