Everyone deserves to live in a healthy and safe environment. That environment includes where you live, work, play, and pray. We reject and actively push back against racist rhetoric, actions, policies and institutional oppression that leads to state-sanctioned brutality, gun violence, and harm that again and again assaults communities, particularly communities of color. We are committed to working for justice and equity, and are in solidarity with social, racial, and environmental justice organizations to build community, understanding and honest dialogue to address the root causes of violence, harm and hate.

Health First: A Cleaning Products Industry Roadmap for Selecting Safer Chemicals

The Health First Roadmap is intended to provide specific guidance to cleaning product companies on chemical screening and safety.

The roadmap outlines the key categories included in company chemical screening, and benchmarks — from “compliance” to the “high road” — the ways companies can make progress towards an approach that puts health first. 

Why A Health First Roadmap?

Currently, no company in the cleaning products sector is fully transparent about how it manages chemicals and ensures that it is using safe ingredients. This is both a serious problem for public health and for companies that are committed to building consumer trust. Read more.

 

Cleaning Products Manufacturers Assessment

November 2019 review of the progress and failures that leading cleaning products manufacturers are making in regards to the strength and transparency of their chemicals safety screening on their journey to health first. Click here.

Roadmap categories and benchmarks

Chemicals Management

Reviewing corporate policies companies use to manage chemicals, including goals for reducing chemicals of high concern, and whether progress has been made towards meeting these established goals. Read more.

Disclosure and Transparency

Evaluating whether companies publicly share information about their safer chemicals policies, practices, and criteria. Read more.

Appendix 1: Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) Indicator Chemicals List. View now.

Chemicals Assessment

Examining specific approaches, methods and criteria for evaluating chemicals, determining chemicals of high concern to reduce or eliminate, and assessing alternatives to avoid regrettable substitution. Read more.

Industry Collaboration

Highlighting the importance of collaboration among companies that manufacture cleaning products. Read more.

Appendix 2: Companies & industries with components of strong chemical screening programs. View now.

Health First (Green)

HEALTH FIRST

Companies put human health and the environment first. The set of chemicals they allow in their products is very limited to only those that pose no potential health risks to consumers at any level, regardless of exposure pathways. They are transparent about their chemical screening efforts and criteria, and they lead collaborative efforts to move the cleaning products industry towards safer production.

Do No Harm (Purple)

DO NO HARM

Companies ensure that their products do not contain chemicals of concern to human health or the environment. They stay ahead of regulatory changes by prohibiting chemicals deemed hazardous by any jurisdiction in the world and those that consumers and NGOs are concerned about, regardless of levels or exposure pathways.

Do Less Harm (Orange)

DO LESS HARM

Companies take action by prohibiting or restricting chemicals deemed hazardous by any jurisdiction in the world, including any chemical for which new regulations emerge. They seek to make these changes across all cleaning products, regardless of levels or exposure pathways.

Compliance (Red)

COMPLIANCE

Companies take no additional action to restrict or prohibit chemicals of concern than is currently required by law. They continue to use chemicals deemed hazardous in other jurisdictions.

The Health First Roadmap is the result of the combined talents of Sarada Tangirala (lead author) and Alexandra Scranton, with editorial review provided by Jamie McConnell, Erin Switalski, and Beth Conway.

Special thank you to the Health First Advisory Committee:

Ann Blake, Ph.D., Environmental & Public Health Consulting

Sally Edwards, Sc.D., Senior Research Associate, UMass Lowell Center for Sustainable Production

Roger McFadden, President, McFadden and Associates, LLC

Mark Rossi, Ph.D., Executive Director, Clean Production Action

Organizational Support

The following individuals and organizations have endorsed the principles of the Health First Roadmap

Alaska Community Action on Toxics
American Sustainable Business Council
Breast Cancer Prevention Partners
Center for Progressive Reform
Clean Production Action
Dr. Yolanda Whyte Pediatrics
Ecology Center
Environmental & Public Health Consulting
Environmental Working Group (EWG)

Epidemic Answers
Fe y Justicia Workers Center
Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition
Green America
Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition
Informed Green Solutions
Material Research L3C
Mind the Store Campaign
Moms for a Non-Toxic New York
NDLON

Nontoxic Certified
Oregon Environmental Council
Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families
Shaw Institute
Sierra Club

WE ACT for Environmental Justice
Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health
WVE (Women’s Voices for the Earth)
UIC School of Public Health, Division of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences

Main principles of The Health First Roadmap

Show Buttons
Hide Buttons