Formulator Initiative
Understanding the Environmental Profile of a Cleaning Formulation
The Profiling Process
Partnership Benefits
For More Information
The Environmental Protection Agency's DfE Program is a voluntary partnership-based
program that works directly with companies to integrate health and environmental
considerations in business decisions. DfE welcomes your participation.
This fact sheet highlights some of the key characteristics (The key characteristics are also available in PDF (11 KB)) of a number of cleaning formulation ingredients and systems.
Formulator Initiative
This DfE project encourages formulators to design products with a more
positive environmental profile. Products with a more positive environmental
profile are those whose ingredients, when compared to conventional formulations,
are less toxic, less persistent (i.e., they biodegrade faster), less bioaccumulative
(i.e., they do not tend to build up in living tissuehuman or animal),
and whose ingredient byproducts have similar beneficial characteristics.
The DfE motto: "If it's not in your product or process, then you
don't have to worry about it!"
back to top | Formulator
Initiative Home
Understanding the Environmental Profile of a Cleaning
Formulation
The first step in improving a product's environmental profile is to understand
the characteristics of your current formulation. Knowing the environmental
and human health attributes of your product's ingredients allows you to
compare the profile of potential substitute ingredients and decide whether
a switch might have a net health or environmental benefit. To help with
this process, DfE offers the scientific and technical expertise of its
formulator initiative team. EPA's scientists have reviewed and assessed
thousands of chemical substances and developed systems to predict chemical
characteristics and toxicity in the absence of data. The formulator initiative
team can provide you with information on what is known and not known about
the potential environmental and health effects of raw materials and additives.
back to top | Formulator
Initiative Home
The Profiling Process
To begin developing an environmental and human health profile, the formulator
provides DfE with a list of a product's current ingredients. DfE has developed
a Formulator Ingredient Worksheet (PDF file, 83KB) to assist companies
in submitting ingredient information. Once completed, DfE uses the worksheet
to prepare a preliminary assessment profile as a baseline for considering
safer alternatives. DfE invites potential partners to meet the technical
assessment team and discuss its findings.
back to top | Formulator
Initiative Home
Partnership Benefits
In addition to technical consultations with the EPA, a partner receives
public recognition for formulation innovations and improvements that help
protect health and the environment. DfE also helps extend recognition
to partner customers, without whom the benefits of reformulation cannot
be realized.
back to top | Formulator
Initiative Home
For More Information on the DfE Program and the Formulators
Initiative
Contact David DiFiore at 202 564-8796; e-mail: difiore.david@epa.gov.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW (7407-T)
Washington, DC 20460-0001
202-566-0799 (phone)
202-566-0794 (fax)
E-mail address: ppic@epa.gov
|
PLEASE NOTE: Some
of the documents mentioned in this Section are in Adobe's
Portable Document Format (PDF). To view or print them
you will need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader program
installed on your computer. The Reader can be downloaded
and used with no charge; check here for more
information on the Adobe Acrobat Reader. |
back to top | Formulator
Initiative Home
|