• About Us
  • What is DfE?
  • Quienes Somos? (Spanish)
  • Safer Product Labeling
  • DfE's Alternatives
    Assessments Program
  • DfE Stakeholder Groups
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • DfE on Facebook!
• About the DfE Label
  • What Does the DfE Label Mean?
  • Which Products Have the DfE
    Label?
  • How to Partner, Get the DfE
    Label
  • DfE Criteria for Safer Chemical
    Ingredients
  • DfE Antimicrobial Pesticide Pilot
    Project
• Labeled Products
  • For Consumers
  • For Industrial & Institutional
    Purchasers
• DfE Projects
  • DfE's Alternatives Assessments
    Program
  • BPA in Thermal Paper
  • Flame Retardant Alternatives
    to decaBDE
  • Flame Retardant Alternatives
    for Hexabromocyclododecane
    (HBCD)
  • Flame Retardants in Circuit
    Boards
  • Nonylphenol Ethoxylate (NPE)
    Surfactants
  • Alternatives to Certain Phthalates
  • DfE Life-Cycle Assessments
  • Lithium-ion Batteries &
    Nanotechnology
  • Safer Detergents Stewardship
    Initiative
  • DfE's Best Practices Partnerships
• Resources
  • Publications
  • CleanGredients® (database
    of safer ingredients)

 

About Us

Acerca de DfE

About Us | Program History | Internships | Related Programs

EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) works in partnership with industry, environmental groups, and academia to reduce risk to people and the environment by finding ways to prevent pollution. For more than 15 years, through partnership projects, DfE has evaluated human health and environmental concerns associated with traditional and alternative chemicals and processes in a range of industries. These analyses have empowered hundreds of businesses to select safer chemicals and technologies. DfE focuses on industries that combine the potential for chemical risk reduction with a strong motivation to make lasting, positive changes.

More recently, DfE has been helping consumers and industrial purchasers make wise choices by identifying safer and effective products. It has evaluated and allowed more than 2,700 products to carry the DfE logo.

Every year, DfE programs reduce the use of chemicals of concern by hundreds of million pounds.

What We Do

• Recognize safer consumer and industrial and institutional products. DfE allows products that have been determined to be effective and safer for human health and the environment to carry its label. Before you buy, look for the DfE label on household cleaners and other products.
• Define Best Practices in areas ranging from auto refinishing to nail salon safety.
• Identify safer chemicals, including life cycle considerations, through Alternatives Assessment.

Partnership Programs

Each of DfE's Partnership projects evaluate products, manufacturing processes, or businesses for:

• Human health concerns
• Environmental considerations
• Performance and cost of traditional and alternative technologies

As incentives to businesses for participation and driving change, DfE offers EPA technical tools, methodologies, and expertise. This expertise in Green Chemistry, toxicology, and modeling enables industry to identify safer alternatives to chemicals of concern.

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