Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Guide: Greening Your Purchase of Cleaning Products

UFA
What's Inside: ;

- What Can You Do? .
- Success Stories
- Contacts & Resources

- EPA's Purchasing Tool
, Suite
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Pollution Prevention
and Toxics
(7409M)
EPA742-B-01-002
December 2001
www.epa.gov/oppt/epp
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Guide
Greening Your Purchase of

Cleaning Products
Cleaning products are necessary for killing germs and keeping the home and work-
place in sanitary condition. But, cleaning products present several human health
and environmental concerns. They may contain chemicals associated with eye,
skin, or respiratory irritation, and other human health issues. Additionally, the concen-
trated forms of many cleaning products are classified as hazardous waste, creating poten-
tial handling, storage, and disposal issues for users. Reducing these human health and
environmental effects is an important incentive for implementing an EPP cleaning prod-
ucts program.
Why Green Your Cleaning Products?
Environmental and Health
Concerns
• Millions of tons, of cleaning products
aft washed down drains every month.
These* products' often contain toxic
* ' „ r ' / ,"
^chemicals that can find their, way into
drinking water-supplies or streams and
lakes,/ ' •''?'•' , ;
r " ss f
• The Aettu^als <%rj. be. toj&,c to aquatic -
plants and animals. Some of these
A ,, /?/ ,/ *' ? s s
cherfttcals x(e,g., phosphates} can cause
nuttient-lpadffig'iri water bodies, lead-
ing to adverse effects <5n water -quality,
flora, and fauna iji the area
y/ /f
* General-purpose'cleaning products have .
been^ shown to, Contribute approximate-
,^ !y 8 percent of total nonvehicular
;^', volatile Qrganic^co|np6¥nd (VOC) emis-
t ' .s^pns^irvCaluxirnia^jvhich contribute to
'' ', , / /, ' ' fr/'tr?/S/ pgn3/mQre than 90 per-
,/ '^cent,p|'tlie|r lif|fejnd0orsiihus, expo-
, sure,tpari9oor^yironfagntal hazards,
/> -haslecl^Q niajiy Health concerns.
''/f ?/ ''»'''' 11 ,
, '< , ' '!'/' ,s / ''', ' ' >/
Magnitude of Potential
Exposure /V, '/,-',,<'
• Cleaning/prdducts'are the chemicals
most frequently iriyolyed in poisonings
reported to Poison Centers nationally:
* The cleaning industry employs two to
three million janitors; but due to very
high turn-over, even greater numbers of
people are affected. , :.

Benefits of Buying Green
* Choosing less hazardous products can
<• minimize harmful impacts to custodial
workers, improve indoor air quality,
- and reduce water pollution. *..
* Buying cleaners in concentrates atiH., „,
' returnable packaging reduces, packaging
waste . ," „„.".
• Buying less hazardous cleaners may
reduce hazardous waste costs when it
comes time'to properly dispose of any
leftover cleaners „ ",*,',%
• Switching from traditional cleaning
products to biodegradable, Ipw-toxicity,
or otherwise less harmful products can
dramatically reduce the environmental
impact of routine cleaning activities *
without sacrificing cleaning effectiveness
* §ome studies have suggested that
improving indoor air quality in Work
environments can improve'overall pro-
ductivity by more than 8 percent.
(Adapted from Green Seaft Choose Green Report)
rpritfteSori papeJ-^t contafps at least gp percent postconsumer fiber.

-------
It's Policy
The federal government has undertaken various initia-
tives to mandate the consideration of the environment in
purchasing decisions. A growing number of state and
local governments also have implemented green purchas-
ing policies or programs. In 1995,EPA^established the
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP)' Program to ""
encourage federal employees to consider a broad range of
gnvjrMrnental,facto,rs,, such jsjeduced toxicity and lower
VOC content, in their purchasing decisions In 1997, the
Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which provides
broad purchasing guidance to federal employees, was
amended to support federal procurement of "green" prod-
ucts and services. In addition, executive agencies, under
Executive Order 13101, have been directed_tp identify
and give preference to the purchase of products and serv-
ices that pose fewer environmental burdens.
To help government purchasers incorporate environmental
considerations into purchasing decisions, EPA developed
five guiding principles. These five principles are:
1. Include environmental considerations as part of the nor-
mal 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 perform-
ance.
For more information, go to the five guiding principles on
EPA's EPP Web site at .
What Can You Do?
It can be challenging to evaluate the environmental attrib-
utes of cleaners. Some companies have changed their mar-
keting schemes to use words such as "environmentally
friendly" or "natural" on their product labels, even when
their products continue to contain hazardous chemicals. So
how can you make an informed purchasing decision?
Try this list of some of the attributes considered, in addi-
tion to price and performance, by some organizations when
selecting environmentally preferable cleaning products.
Many organizations incorporate some of these attributes
into their cleaning service contract specifications. The list is
arranged into simple lifecycle categories.
— Irritating artificial dyes and/or .fragrances., ': , .
— Substances classified as known; or likely human ,
carcinogens by authorities such as the National.. .
Toxicology Program, the U.S. EPA,.or the ;
International Agency for Research on Cancer.; .'.:.•
— Ozone-depleting compounds, . . . :
-— Chemicals listed under, the State of California's Safe.
Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act .... .
(Proposition 65) as causing reproductive toxicity. . ;
— Regulated hazardous materials (e.g. products classi-
fied as hazardous waste; products that trigger
OSHA hazard communication requirements).
Natural Resource Use product Packaging
• Avoidance of non-renewable resources, such as petrole- • fcf
m J urn- or hydrocarbon-based materials.* ' Concentrated formulas* ^
"R^' Use of renewable resources, such as bio-based citrus, ' Reduced Packaging
,,; ","',,,, '""„"' seed, vegetable, and pine oils.
Manufacturing/Product Content
M. . „; !«., •iiiii*«ii;]iiiCiiiiiii!iii!Bi!!!!iiii!iMSiSiii^;*-'* ,T ,..n „ ,, ,-,
^:J!K.\Tr-i5om^
used in
Packaging designed to reduce exposure to product
packaging
TScycled-content packaging
bottles
!ave applied these critefiaito substances _m^.^.-.^±:::;±;:;:i ., ,,-"" i
4 it,,,,.,, „„ „„„ ._»,_-_>.. ~ .„....,._ Pump sprays rather than aerosols
uringprocess as well as the, final product. 'iii^.s&Jyrfaaw,. r
•IHWr"- ; "j : ::l^ii»^ ::--«-; •*« *c;; Products -shipped m bulk
fS||y's environmental policy and reputation. ' •-••••••••-••
of potentially
.4, '/

ft
sSy^"
....»(.'.

-------
                             Itesct'u'rees

 Commonwealth  of Massachusetts
 Contains extensive details/>n the process Massachusetts used
 to identify environmentally preferable cleaning products. It
 includes the actual specifications, Massachusetts' environmen-
 tal ratings for specific products, and product pricing informa-
 tion provided by the vendors. The Web site address is
 ,

 State of Minnesota
 Provides comprehensive information on the process Minnesota
 used to evaluate the environmental preferability of cleaning
 products. Also includes links to and information about other
 related resources. For more information, go to
 .

 King County, Washington
 Includes excerpts from the county's 1996 environmentally
 preferable cleaning specifications. The site also* includes links
 to other useful cleaning product resourcesx For more-itforma-r
 tion, visit . '     '    */   '  ,*',"  '   ,(l   ^  •
                                             / /   f

 Janitorial  Products Pollution .Prevention
 Project                                /
 Contains a series of helpful tools/including information qn. the
 risks associated witb/more  than 100 .cleaning product ingredi-
 ents, a list of high-risk products, and nsk.evalu^tion^forms. ^ /
 The  site also includes a series 'of.fact sheets tegnligMnglhe "
 pollution prevention opportunities associated with cleaning
 products, includfng recommendations about which ch,emicals^
 to avoidvlt alsp^ontains_ information on A "4^hout workshop
 entitled, "How 50 Select atid'JBfse-Safe janitorial Products," 'Find,
 information on the project" at '  "   ""f   "  ' , '
 . /'x  ?.    '
                        ''''-•     ','',,'<',  ',''.'<,'
 U.S. General Services Administration
 Cleaning Products Catalog
 Provides environmental attribute information on cleaning
 products available through the U.S. General Services '
 Administration, one of the federal government's priniary sup- *
 pliers. For more information, go to         ' ', ' ^ ''
               s.gsa,g6v/i07/^^
 Green Seat  f      /       '  J  '   /', ,-  >,
 Contains Green Seal's 'envirorihiental pfeferabihty Standards for
 household cleaning produc,tsf as well as 'industrial and'instim- "
 tional cleaners. The Web site also includeSxthe Cfioose &reen
 Report on Industrial and Institutional Cleaners, whicrtrecom-
 mends 38 products from 21 companies that meet Green Seal
 standards^ Visit  fgr'naof^informatton.

 Washington Toxics Coalition
 An organization dedicated to protecting public health and the
 environment by promoting alternatives to toxic chemicals
 This Web- site provides information about pollution prevention
 and includes publications^ topics, and upcoming events. Visit
 -watoxics,org> for more information.


   For additional' information on environmentally preferable
 cleaning products, contact Jim Parr pf EPA at 202 564'8841,
 or by e-mail at  ,
 EPA's  Purchasing  Tool Suite
EPAs 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 priori-
tizing environmental attributes (e.g., skin irritation potential,
VOCs, recycled packaging).     •.          •  .   .
  

Database of Environmental Information for Products and
Services — A searchable database of product-specific informa-
tion (e.g., environmental standards and guidelines or contract
language) developed by government programs, both domestic
and foreign, as well as third parties.
  
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.
  

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.
  

 — Tips to help government credit card holders make greener
choices when buying products, such as cleaning products.

-------
Success Stories
The City of Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica's green cleaning product purchases have
eliminated the purchase of 3,200 pounds of hazardous
materials annually. This translates into a saving of
approximately 5 percent of annual spending on cleaning
products when compared with the traditional products it
was purchasing. The city's Web site includes a copy of
Santa Monica's custodial products bid specifications,
which many other purchasers have used as a basis for
their own specifications. Go to Santa Monica's Web site at
, or visit the EPP
Program's case study on the city's success at .

Perrigo
Perrigo, a mid-sized company and the leading manufac-
turer of generic and "store brand" pharmaceuticals and
personal care products, is saving more than $35,000
annually after switching to green cleaning products.
While part of the reported savings can be attributed to
the fact that some green cleaning products are less expen-
sive than the traditional ones, most of the reported and
anticipated savings appear to result from new bulk pur-
chasing opportunities, fewer workers compensation
claims, and rising employee productivity. For more infor-
mation, visit the EPP Program's case study, Private Sector
Pioneers, at .

The National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) used to buy more than
130 different cleaning products but has switched to a
family of products it considers environmentally prefer-
able. It now buys only 15 products. Purchasing a smaller
number of products allows NPS to buy products in
fater volumes and at a bigger discount than purchasing
ill'quantities of a large number of different products.
u *ii«:-S '-" "i»

Department of Interior Headquarters
""''!; The Department of the Interior (DOI) initiated^ contract
^for custpdiafgr^ces(iusing environmentally preferable
'.'. cleaning products and supplies. DOI identified environ-
'"' mental attributes for the products that had to be met or
'"''' exceeded "in Wfler "to be considered. DOI also has used
Environmental Standard -for industrial
the Green Se
Institutional Cleaners, GS-37. 'For .more information, visit'
the Web site at • •••'.• ,
City of Richmond, California
Janitorial contractors in Richmond, California, are : : :.
expecting the switch to green cleaning products to reduce
worker compensation claims. According to a study con-
ducted by a consultant to the city, a cleaning chemical.
accident requiring, medical treatment costs an average ;ofj.
$615 per incident, excluding long-term disability.costs. :
The study also' reveals that one out of every- 100 janitors .
has reported work-related injuries attributable; to the' ,'
cleaning products they use. The project team believes the
actual number of incidents, however, is, :six injuries'per ,-:
100 janitors, because many people are: reluctant to report
injuries, fearing disciplinary measures. •.. : .: ';.' y:; ';;..'..-
By switching to less toxic cleaning; products, contrac-
tors in Richmond expect to reduce the number of inci-
dents, their severity, and the cost per incident. The con- ,.
tractors anticipate that worker compensation insurance
costs might'decrease because the insurance premiums.'are
based on the number and severity of claims. In;.addition, :
if the contractors make all the potential changes available
to them, their use of hazardous materials will drop by
3,000 pounds per year. 'Finally, several purchasers have
noted that the lower VOC content and reduced toxicity
of green cleaning products help improve overall indoor
air quality. This affects all employees, not just the janitor-
ial staff, and could boost employee productivity, cut
absenteeism, and promote the general well being of
building occupants.

And more...
Other.green cleaning product purchasers such as Ben &
Jerry's; King County, Washington; the Commonwealth of
. Massachusetts; and the states of Minnesota and Vermont
also have/reduced environmental impacts by purchasing
cleaning products each has determined to be environ-
0 r <*=L,v ,.
mentally preterable
As these green pioneers have continued to demon- .
.strate, purchasing cleaning products with reduced envi-
. ronmental impacts has significant advantages. From
improving environmental perforrnance to saving money,
green cleaning products can outshine the competition.
; •• 8&r

-------
Availability
As information about the risks posed by some clean-
ing products has emerged, consumers have begun to
explore opportunities to use less harmful products.
As a result, the industry has begun to produce new
products that are less harmful to human health and
the environment. These environmentally preferable
cleaners are gradually becoming more widely available from
vendors, distributors, and catalogs (see the "Contacts and
Resources" section).

Performance
Many of the users of these new products report that per-
formance is equal to, or even superior to, conventional
products. However, when soliciting vendor proposals, per-
formance issues should be addressed directly in the specifi-
cations for cleaning products. Since improper use can affect
the performance of cleaners, vendors should be required to
provide training to maintenance staff on the proper use of
their products.
Price
iHF Products that appear to be priced higher than a tra-
'**»** ditional cleaner may actually be less expensive to
use when the full cost of using standard products is
considered. Such costs include worker training,
environmental and workplace regulations, and left-
over product disposal. If you buy cleaners with
less-hazardous components, you can reduce these costs.
Furthermore, concentrated products that have a higher
purchase price may actually be cheaper to use when prop-
erly diluted. To make accurate price comparisons, assess
the cost-per-application, not the cost-per-volume.
Product Use
• Acute toxicity—usually defined in terms of a single dose or
short-term air concentration that can cause lethality
(LD50/LC50).
• Effects on air quality (VOC content).
• Chronic toxicity (includes a wide variety of adverse effects
that can result from long-term exposure to a substance).
• Corrosiveness (pH).
• Flashpoint (a higher flashpoint indicates a lower potential
for flammability/combustibility; liquids with a flashpoint
below 100 degrees F are considered flammable).
• Likelihood of exposure to concentrate.
• Skin and eye irritation potential.
• Effective with cold water instead of hot, which will help
«,& y<-<, -• ^^. «~f j,*$,sf*-* 5. f
reduce energy use. "-"* *-*_ 'A,(-Jt f, '•'
if"
Product Disposal
Aquatic toxicity.
Biodegradability. >'.„..,„
Hazardous waste classification (is^dae product considered a
RCRA hazardous waste by one ormqire cHteSria, e,.g: acute
toxicity, corrosivity, etc.?). • ,••,.• . .* 2'
*More Information...
• The consumption of petroleum, a non-renewable resource,
to be used for energy during manufacture and/or as a prod-
uct component, can serve as an indicator of acid ram, cli-
mate change potential, air pollution, and associated human
health risks, as well as risks to endangered species and
fragile ecosystems
• Choose pump-spray containers instead of aerosols.
Pressurized aerosol products are usually high in VOC con-
tent. Aerosol propellants often produce a finer mist, so the
product can more easily be inhaled by workers. Aerosol
containers may be hazardous to workers if punctured.
Also, any hazardous product left in an aerosol container
makes the entire container a regulated hazardous waste,
which means more expensive disposal.
. In general, concentrated formulas are preferred because
they reduce the amount of packaging and the amount of
energy used in shipping the product. However, concentraj:-
ed products can p1p|nFhazard issues that must be
addressed .tQ^^gS^fcy^S^^a^t^jrj^jpfoper disposal. -
- Disinfectant products serve an important function in cer-
tain areSl" However,, many ofjhese products can present
health of ecological concerns. Disinfectant products should
be lifnitedto applications^wliere it is important to control
mfeet'ious^|"g«hits. Many'types* of general purpose cleaning
• do not require 'the use of disinfectants.
y,-

-------
spnpojy Buweap
    00£$ 920
           sssu|sng |e
           DO 'u
               (IAI60W)

-------