SAN FRANCISCO - The E.P.A. awarded its 1st ever Safer Choice Partner of the Year awards for outstanding achievement in the design, manufacture, promotion and use of environmentally friendly products in the nation's homes, schools, and businesses. Products eligible to display EPA's new Safer Choice label must meet stringent human and environmental health criteria.
E.P.A. acknowledged PRIDE Industries of Roseville, Calif., for helping consumers and businesses select products with safer chemical ingredients. The nonprofit is among 21 organizations across 15 states recognized with the Safer Choice Partner of the Year Award.
"We are pleased to recognize PRIDE Industries for its efforts to distribute products that are safer to use, without sacrificing quality and performance," said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA's Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. "By promoting Safer Choice products, PRIDE Industries is leading the way to a greener future."
The Safer Choice Plan currently has nearly 500 formulator-manufacturers making in excess of 2,000 products for both retail and institutional customers. Products displaying the Safer Choice label will be accessible in stores later this spring and summer.
PRIDE Industries, one of the nation's biggest nonprofit employers of people with disabilities, is being acknowledged as an outstanding Safer Choice Distributor. The organization meets the manufacturing and service needs of Fortune 500 companies and government agencies nationwide. Safer Choice commends PRIDE Industries for its prominent use of the Safer Choice label on its products and for its educational and trade show promotions, which reach large markets and explain the meaning of the Safer Choice label.
"PRIDE Industries' participation in the Safer Choice Plan resulted in the PRIDEClean® product line - used in our social business enterprises and distributed through others," said Al Ahlm, PRIDE product manager. "As one of the nation's biggest nonprofit employers of people with disabilities, we feel a great responsibility to ensure use of the safest products accessible without sacrificing the quality and performance expectations of our customers."
Partner of the Year award winners represent a wide variety of leadership organizations, such as Fortune 500 companies, small- and medium-sized businesses, state governments, and non-governmental organizations. The 2015 Safer Choice Partner of the Year Awards were presented yesterday at the Ronal Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC, in 5 categories: Safer Formulator-Manufacturer, Safer Chemical Innovator, Purchaser/Distributor, Retailer, and Plan supporter.
More information on the 2015 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winners:
http://www2.epa.gov/saferchoice/safer-choice-partner-year-awards
More information on PRIDE Industries:
http://www.prideindustries.com/about/
More information on Green Cleaning multi-lingual resources:
http://www.sfenvironment.org/article/business/custodial-green-cleaning
