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 2 Southern California companies: Earth Friendly Products of Garden Grove, and the Ashkin Group of Los Angeles for helping consumers and businesses select products with safer chemical ingredients. The companies are among 21 organizations across 15 states recognized with the Safer Choice Partner of the Year Award.
"We are pleased to recognize these companies for their efforts to promote 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, these companies are 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.
Earth Friendly Products -- Most Safer Choice-labeled products
Earth Friendly Products is acknowledged as a noteworthy innovator with the most Safer Choice-labeled products-over 40-out of all the manufacturing companies recognized with this award. The company is a manufacturer of green household and commercial cleaning products dating back to 1967, with a focus on maintaining high requirements while incorporating environmentally sustainable raw materials, features, and manufacturing processes, particularly focusing on gentle surfactants and reformulating fragrances.
The Ashkin Group -- Leaders in the Green Cleaning industry
The Ashkin Group-a consulting firm working to green the cleaning industry-is acknowledged as an outstanding Safer Choice Supporter. The organization has offered input that helped enhance the Safer Choice Plan and encourage ingredient disclosure on product labeling. Safer Choice commends The Ashkin Group for its strong communication efforts to advance safer cleaning and worker health, its long-time support of the Safer Choice program, and its promotion of the Plan in LEED and the Green Sports Alliance.
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 The Ashkin Group:
http://ashkingroup.com/
More information on Earth Friendly Products:
http://www.ecos.com/
More information on Green Cleaning multi-lingual resources:
http://www.sfenvironment.org/article/business/custodial-green-cleaning
