Washington, DC – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) released an update to its federal purchasing search tool that highlights the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) prohibitions and plastic waste reduction requirements in Green Seal’s product standards. The newly revised tool allows users to identify which ecolabel standards contain PFAS and plastic reduction criteria, making it easier for federal purchasers to meet sustainability goals and mandates.
EPA’s Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing give preference to multi-attribute standards and ecolabels and are intended to help federal purchasers identify and procure environmentally sustainable products and services. The newest revisions to the Recommendations’ search tool allow users to view the standards by how they address PFAS and plastic in addition to their product category.
This update showcases Green Seal’s commitment to taking a leadership position on addressing hazardous “forever chemicals.” Green Seal’s standards have long prohibited long-chain PFAS formally classified as hazardous. However, a growing body of evidence indicates that short-chain PFAS have the same harmful health and environmental effects as the legacy PFAS they are replacing. Green Seal updated its standards for cleaning and personal care products in 2022 to prohibit all approximately 12,000 chemicals in this class and is currently updating the PFAS prohibition in its standards for paints and coatings, floor care products, adhesives, and degreasers.
Green Seal certification helps brands stay ahead of the curve on ingredient bans. In addition to greater federal focus on PFAS, states including California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington have passed laws prohibiting intentionally added PFAS in consumer products starting as soon as 2025.
For detailed information on EPA’s Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing, visit epa.gov/greenerproducts/recommendations-specifications-standards-and-ecolabels-federal-purchasing.
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Green Seal® is a global nonprofit committed to making sustainability everyone’s business. The ecolabelling movement we pioneered decades ago has helped people make informed purchasing decisions and driven the marketplace toward healthier, greener choices. Hundreds of the world’s leading companies carry our certification on their products, services, and spaces to quickly signal how they’ve met a high benchmark of health and environmental leadership. Numerous federal, state, and institutional purchasing policies specify Green Seal and certified products are eligible for Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly badge. Look for, partner with, and lean on Green Seal so you can make healthier, safer choices with confidence. Visit greenseal.org or connect with Green Seal on X and LinkedIn.