Blog

30 Years Strong: A Look at Green Seal and Ecolabelling

If you follow us on social media, you probably already know that Green Seal is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month. Because anniversaries are a natural time to reflect, we’ve been looking back at our history and the role Green Seal has played in the wider story of the sustainability movement. We’ve also been digging […]

Consumers Spur Action on Toxins Like Methylene Chloride

It has always been clear to Green Seal that toxic substances such as methylene chloride and 1,4-dioxane have no place in the products used in homes, schools or workplaces – that’s why we have long prohibited these and a long list of other hazardous chemicals in our certified products.  Growing consumer awareness of the health […]

Will CA Transparency Law Spur Safer Cleaning Products?

Growing public demand for ingredient transparency across the marketplace is prompting regulators to require manufacturers and retailers to publicly communicate the ingredients in everything from personal care and baby products to cosmetics and cleaning products.   Starting this January, cleaning product manufacturers for the first time will have to post their product ingredients online to comply […]

Titanium Dioxide Whitens in Enzyme-Based Cleaning

Green Seal has issued new editions of our cleaning product standards with one minor change: We now allow titanium dioxide as an ingredient in enzyme-based products, within certain conditions. Titanium dioxide is a colorant that is included to whiten and brighten many types of products – from food to paints and personal care products. In […]

Branch Creek De-Icer Melts Competition with Certification

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW CHLORIDE-FREE ICE MELT. Entry® uses a potassium formate blend that spares homes, residential yards, campuses and corporate parks from the hazardous and corrosive effects of rock salt and other chloride-based deicing products. By breaking down the hydrogen bonds that form when water freezes, Entry removes thin layers of ice and […]

Emerging Wellness Trends Advance Green Hospitality

What’s that smell? Deodorizer? Bleach? When you enter your hotel room for the night, you shouldn’t have to worry that the air you breathe will provoke headaches, allergies, or asthma. That’s the mindset of a growing generation of consumers who view sustainability as inextricably linked to human health – and who support hotels that do […]

SAVOR…Chicago Earns First Convention Center Certification

by Doug Bradley, SAVOR…Vice President of Culinary Managing food service waste in a convention center is an immense challenge. Chicago’s McCormick Place, the largest convention center in the Americas, draws almost 3 million visitors each year. SAVOR… Chicago takes the responsibility and opportunity to manage our business sustainably very seriously, a commitment that led us to be […]

Green Cleaning is an Organization-Wide Effort at NC State

North Carolina State University’s certified green cleaning program has generated a host of benefits for the campus community, including improved air quality, reduced operational costs, and improved employee health and morale. To maintain Green Seal certification, University Housekeeping will be reevaluated annually to ensure its cleaning products, processes and employee training meet leadership levels. PILOT […]

Green Cleaning is an Organization-Wide Effort at NC State

North Carolina State University’s certified green cleaning program has generated a host of benefits for the campus community, including improved air quality, reduced operational costs, and improved employee health and morale. To maintain Green Seal certification, University Housekeeping will be reevaluated annually to ensure its cleaning products, processes and employee training meet leadership levels. PILOT […]

BMS Cleans Over 100 Million Square Feet of Space

WHAT DOES SUSTAINABILITY MEAN TO BMS? Because the environmental impact of the janitorial industry is so enormous, so is our potential to reduce it. As a responsible company committed to sustainability, it’s our obligation to offset this however we can. Annually the janitorial industry consumes 6.2 billion pounds of mostly petroleum-based chemicals. Additionally, our industry […]

Harsh Cleaning Chemicals Have No Place in Our Schools

Many Americans are familiar with “Code Orange” days, when the air outside is so dangerous that school officials keep kids indoors. But what if the air quality inside our schools is just as much of a concern? That’s the case in half of our nation’s schools where the EPA found poor indoor air quality is putting children’s […]

Updated Paper Waste Standards Deliver Big Environmental Wins

It’s a simple but harsh truth: America has a paper waste problem Americans throw out 68 million tons of paper each year – that’s 417 pounds per person. Until this year, the U.S. could handle this immense volume by shipping one-third of our waste to China, but due to new Chinese policies, almost all of that refuse is […]

HSC Report: How Schools are Keeping Kids Healthier, Safer

A new report out this week from the Healthy Schools Campaign shows that a growing number of school officials across the country are choosing environmentally certified cleaning products. This is great news, because as the Healthy Schools Campaign CEO, Rochelle Davis, points out, “We know that how schools approach cleaning says a lot about how they value their students, staff, […]

Green & Glamour Go Together for Certified Sofitel LA

The Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills is the definition of luxury — an urban oasis surrounded by the decadence and glamour of West Hollywood, California. Through ongoing sustainability initiatives, their staff have learned that you don’t have to sacrifice guest experience or quality of service to be green. In fact, being green can improve […]

Update: TCSA (Toxic Substances Control Act) Amendment

Recently, Green Seal’s standards development team attended a conference on the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which celebrated its 1-year anniversary. We greatly enjoyed the candid conversations between the heavy hitters: government officials, members of Congress, representatives from industry, and environmental advocates. The bill was signed into law on June 22, 2016 […]