Design for the Environment – Recognition for Safer Products Federal Environmental Symposium East Breakout Session 2.8: “Developing, Testing, and Deploying Biobased Substitutes for Toxic Chemicals” June 4, 2008 Libby Sommer Design for the Environment (DfE) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC

2 What is ‘DfE’? Like Energy Star recognizes energy efficient products, DfE recognizes safer chemical products and alternatives

3 DfE’s Current Projects Product Recognition (Formulator) SDSI Flame Retardants in PCBs Wire & Cable LCA Best Practices Auto Re-finishing

4 Presentation Outline DfE Program Overview Product Recognition Program – Overview and purpose – Continuum of Improvement – Example of Recognized Products CleanGredients™ – Overview and purpose – DfE Screens for Safer Chemicals – Screenshots

5 DfE Program Overview Focus – Chemicals of concern – Informed Substitution – OPPT technical tools and expertise Considerations – Business client – Multi-stakeholder participation – Business realities – Potential benefits for industry and the environment Results – Industry partners reduced about 160 million pounds of chemicals of concern last year

6 DfE Product Recognition Program Goals and Purpose Level the Playing Field -Information on chemicals of concern currently in commerce used to regulate new, pre-commerce chemicals. Suggest Safer, Green-Chemistry Alternatives -Use Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics chemical knowledge and expertise to guide formulators toward safer substitutes. Recognize Innovation -Many leading raw material manufacturers and formulators are innovators, using safer alternatives to develop new technologies. -They deserve ratification and recognition for their success. -Recognition encourages further innovation across the industry.

7 DfE Product Recognition Program Background Expert Chemical Evaluation – Chemists, Biologists, Toxicologists & Engineers Toxicity, fate, function, alternatives Review every ingredient by functional use Developing ‘screens’ that provide specific criteria and program transparency Use hazard oriented, green chemistry approaches to promote the safest options (continuous improvement)

8 Continuous Improvement – Driven by Green Chemistry – As Innovation Occurs Continua May Shift – Acknowledges Business Realities Encourage development of safer chemical formulations. For example… – Cleaning products – Holding tank treatments – Aircraft conversion coatings – Inks Continuum of Improvement Formula Ingredient by Functional Class Of Concern Improved Sustainable Characteristics of Ingredient of Concern Characteristics of Improved Ingredient Characteristics of Sustainable Ingredient DfE Product Recognition Program Incorporating Continuous Improvement

9 When you see the DfE logo on a product, what does it mean? It means that the DfE technical workgroup has screened each ingredient in the product for potential human health and environmental effects and that – based on currently available information, predictive models, and expert judgment – the product contains only those ingredients that pose the least concern among chemicals in their class.

10 DfE Partners DfE has more than 80 Partners representing nearly 500 recognized products

11 Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Several states and municipalities include DfE recognition in their procurement standards – State of New Jersey – State of Oregon – State of Colorado – State of Washington – State of Utah – State of Hawaii – State of Illinois Additional states and entities are considering DfE recognition for inclusion in their purchasing programs North American Green Purchasing Initiative’s Fact Sheet on Green Cleaners Executive Order – DfE recognition is part of EPA’s goals under this EO – Implemented internally through the EPA’s Environmental Management System Home Depot Eco Options

12 DfE Recognized Products and the Soy Products Guide United Soybean Board’s Soy Products Guide – DfE recognized products are included – Examples: Bi-O-Kleen Industries’ Soy Cream Cleaner Soy Technologies’ SoyFast, SoyFast 1000, SoyFast 5000

13 DfE Recognized Products and Bio- Based Ingredients Clorox Green Works™ First new brand from Clorox in 20 years (Most) ingredients “come from renewable resources, are biodegradable, and free of petrochemicals” Major ingredients include: – Safer Surfactants Degrade quickly and to less toxic degradates – Safer Solvents Low concerns for human health toxicity including internal organ toxicity, reproductive toxicity, and neurotoxicity – Safer Chelating Agents Degrade quickly, no concern for carcinogenicity or metal loading to the environment

14 Is there a list of safer chemicals we can use in making our ingredient choices?

15 CleanGredients™ and the DfE Screens are Defining Safer Chemistry CleanGredients™ is a marketplace… – for suppliers to showcase safer chemical ingredients for cleaning products, and – for formulators to find those ingredients. CleanGredients™ is at the intersection of safer chemistry and high performance ingredients DfE Screens for Safer Chemical Ingredients – Defined for functional classes of ingredients (e.g. surfactants, solvents) – “As green as it can be and still get the job done well”.

16 DfE Screen for Surfactants Safer surfactants degrade quickly to low toxicity degradates. Acute Aquatic Toxicity (L/E/IC50 Value) Rate of Biodegradation ≤1 ppm May be acceptable if biodegradation 1 occurs within a 10-day window >1 ppm and ≤10 ppmBiodegradation 1 occurs within a 10-day window >10 ppm Biodegradation 1 occurs within 28 days without products of concern 2 1 Generally, >60% mineralization (to CO2 and water) in 28 days. 2 Products of concern are compounds with high acute aquatic toxicity (L/E/IC50 ≤ 10ppm) and a slow rate of biodegradation (greater than 28 days).

17 DfE Screen for Solvents (draft) General Attributes of Concern for All Solvents Carcinogenicity Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity Persistence, Bioaccumulation and Aquatic Toxicity (PBaT) Acute Mammalian Toxicity Key Attributes of Concern for 4 Solvent Classes* Repeated-Dose Toxicity Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity (covered above) Neurotoxicity * Ethylene Glycol Ethers (EGEs), Propylene Glycol Ethers (PGEs), Alcohols, Esters Safer solvents demonstrate low impacts to human health and the environment.

18 CleanGredients™ Search by Performance/P-Chem/Tox Properties

19 CleanGredients™ Search Results

20 CleanGredients™ Detailed Ingredient View

21 CleanGredients™ Detailed Ingredient View

Libby Sommer