The advent and acceptance of Green-certification programs was a major stepping stone in the evolution of Green Cleaning. For the first time when it came to selecting environmentally preferable cleaning products, all of the guess work, homework, and much of the confusion of end-users, facility managers, and other building professionals was eliminated. If the cleaning product was Green certified by a recognized and credible independent third-party certification organization such as GreenSeal®, EcoLogoTM and EPA’s Design for the Environment Program (DfE); purchasers could be confident that the product performed well and was safer to use with a reduced impact on the environment.
However, now end-users want more. They want manufacturers of cleaning chemicals to provide complete disclosure of ingredients on the labels and marketing materials for their products. Further, it should be provided in some standardized format so that it is consistent to make it easier for the end-user to easily ascertain exactly what ingredients are used so they can do further research on health and environmental impacts should they choose to do so.
I brought this issue to the industry’s attention at last year’s ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America tradeshow in Orlando, Florida. I mentioned that while five consumer-focused chemical manufacturers have adopted ingredient disclosure programs, no commercial chemical manufacturers have followed suit.
However, I have recently been told that some manufacturers of professional cleaning chemicals are now providing ingredient disclosure information. Nonetheless, upon closer examination, it appears these manufacturers have frequently developed their own format. This means the ingredient information provided is not in a similar, standardized, or consistent format, which can cause more confusion than clarification.
A reasonable, workable, and voluntary ingredient communications format has been worked on by the Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA) in negotiations with the Sierra Club, one of America’s largest environmental organizations. The following is the template they suggest should be placed on all professional cleaning chemicals:
- The name of the product;
- A picture of the product;
- A listing of all intentionally added ingredients that are above 1 percent of total ingredients in order of predominance; these should be followed by a listing of ingredients used under or at 1 percent of total ingredients; and
- The benefits of this product.
The agreed upon format also suggests where this ingredient disclosure template should be located. Among their suggestions are on the product’s label, the manufacturer’s Web site, or provided by dialing a toll-free telephone number.
Confidentiality Issues
One of the reasons many chemical manufactures are hesitant to list the ingredients or composition of ingredients in their products is that it could be used by their competitors to develop and market similar products. This means all the time, energy, and resources employed to develop the product could be in vain.
However, this suggested disclosure information program protects what is considered “confidential business information”. It provides that in such cases, “ingredients may be listed by their chemical function and/or chemical class descriptors.”
In other words, manufacturers are not required to disclose information that they claim are trade secrets, proprietary, or need to be kept confidential. Further, to help manufacturers determine if the names of certain ingredients should be kept confidential, they reference confidentiality procedures used for chemical ingredients by North American cosmetic manufacturers. Some of the factors that would be considered to help determine if an ingredient can remain confidential include:
- The extent to which the ingredient is known to employees of a company or to employees of other companies making similar types of products;
- The extent of measures taken to keep the ingredient secret and confidential;
- The amount of money and effort used to develop the ingredient; and
- The ease or difficulty with which the identity of the ingredient could be acquired or developed by others.
While these can address manufacturers’ needs to protect their confidential business information, efforts are still underway to meet end-users needs to know what’s in the products they are purchasing. For example, work needs to continue to identify when a product contains ingredients that are toxic, especially those that are carcinogenic, mutagenic or reproductive toxins. And ultimately a program should emerge that protects both the manufacturer and the end-user alike.
Why Ingredient Disclosure is so Important
Earlier we mentioned how valuable Green certification has been to the evolution of Green cleaning. Before certification, many companies would self-certify their products Green. We would then find out many of these products did not have increased environmental or health protection. Sometimes the self-certification was done with the best of intentions, and sometimes it was done purely for marketing benefits, today known as “greenwashing.”
However, the end result was the same: It confused the end-user, who more often than not, decided not to select Green products until they could be sure they were truly Green.
Although we have now crossed this bridge, greenwashing is still an issue. The adoption of a standardized system for ingredient communications by all professional cleaning chemical manufacturers will help put one more nail in the greenwashing coffin and help further the adoption of safer, effective, and reduced impact cleaning chemicals throughout the industry.
What FMs Can Do
Many if not most janitorial product distributors and cleaning contractors offer Green cleaning products and services, which are being widely adopted in the market place. But today, FMs can take the next step and begin simply by asking suppliers to disclose the ingredients that are in the products being used within the FMs’ buildings. This is an easy step, but it sends a clear message to the manufacturers that this is important. And when being given the option between two products that are similar in performance, cost, third-party certified, availability, etc., most will prefer the product that offers ingredient disclosure to reward those manufacturers who have taken this important step forward.
