Kaeltia Consulting provides an overview of the new EPA Safer Choice and Design for the Environment (DfE) Pesticide Projects
Efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to consider the effects of chemicals on human health and the environment have been a long-standing consideration. If we go back to 1990, we can look at the innovative non-regulatory initiative called “Design for the Environment (DfE)” that EPA launched to encourage companies to consider the impact and performance of products.
Over the years, EPA has worked to achieve these ends through the DfE program, developing a certification program based on chemical safety standards, in collaboration with partner groups, industry members, universities and other relevant parties, to find sustainable solutions and provide consumers with better choice in their environmental and health-related purchasing decisions.
In 2015, a new label called “Safer Choice label” replaced the DfE product label, adopting an updated design to help stakeholders and consumers easily identify those products that have earned the label. Nevertheless, antimicrobial products, such as disinfectants and sanitizers, continue to use the DfE certification, which was updated in 2022.
About Safer Choice label, ¿what do companies need to consider to obtain it?
According to EPA figures, some 1,900 products currently qualify for the Safer Choice label. In recent years, the Agency has invested significant resources to define the best Safer Choice standards to ensure proper product behavior. Earning the Safer Choice label means that companies are leading the way in safer and more sustainable products, and it also allows formulators to use low hazard ingredients while still producing high performance products.
The program also reviews product effects related to physicochemical properties, toxicological properties and persistence in the environment. This label is not only for manufacturers, it can also be used in businesses, office buildings, sports facilities, hotels, schools and other institutional facilities.
Design for the Environment (DfE) logo, ¿what were the approaches in 2023?
In May 2022, the EPA launched a new design for the DfE logo that applies only to antimicrobial products such as disinfectants and sanitizers. The criteria that these products must meet are establishment in the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and other stringent requirements.
The requirements established in this certification for antimicrobial products aim to reduce any potential risk to human health, protect aquatic life, minimize contamination of air, water, and soil, and ensure the efficacy and performance of the products.
About us, how can Kaeltia Consulting help companies?
Kaeltia Consulting provides specialized scientific and regulatory affairs support to meet the compliance needs of companies interested in these certifications, complying with the criteria established by the Agencies and the new regulatory frameworks. Kaeltia Consulting has a wide range of expertise of more than 10 years in the industry supporting clients from all over the world to commercialize their products under specific regulations.
To learn more about our services, please visit our website or contact us at info@kaeltia.com. We will be pleased to help you with your regulatory challenges.
