U.S. EPA
Design for the Environment Program
NPPR Webinar
June 23, 2011
Libby Sommer
Environmental Scientist
Contents
• What is DfE?
• DfE’s Current Projects
• Chemical Alternatives Assessments
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BPA in Thermal Paper
Flame Retardant Alternatives to DecaBDE
HBCD Alternatives in Foam Insulation
Upcoming Alternatives Assessments
• Safer Product Labeling Program
– Growth in Labeled Products
– Enhancements to Labeling Standard
– How the DfE Label Drives Development of Chemical Data
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What is DfE?
• Goals
• Safer products
• Safer chemical ingredients is baseline
• Life cycle impacts are considered
• Protecting Consumers, Workers, & the
Environment
• Central Elements
• OPPT technical tools and expertise
• Multi-stakeholder participation
• Results
• Currently, industry partners use more than 700 million pounds of
safer chemicals
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DfE’s Current Projects
Flame Retardants
in PCBs
BPA Alternatives in HBCD Alternatives
Thermal Paper
in Foam Insulation
Safer Product
Labeling
This summer:
NPEs Alternatives
Assessment
Flame retardant
alternatives to
decaBDE
Lithium-ion
battery LCA
This fall: Phthalates
Alternatives Assessment
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What are Chemical Alternatives Assessments?
• High, Moderate, or Low ratings for:
• Human health effects
• Environmental fate and effects
• Involves wide array of stakeholders
• Provides information that manufacturers can use to
create more sustainable products
• Helps minimize the potential for unintended
consequences by reducing the likelihood of moving to
alternatives that could pose a concern
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ES&T Feature Article
Lavoie et al. “Chemical Alternatives Assessment: Enabling Substitution to Safer
Chemicals.” Environmental Science & Technology 2010 44 (24), 9244-9249
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Steps to Conducting a Chemical
Alternatives Assessment
1) Refine project definition – through research and
preliminary stakeholder consultation
•
Consider cost, technical feasibility & availability of
alternatives
2) Convene stakeholders
3) Finalize scope & identify potential alternatives
4) Conduct hazard assessment
5) Develop the report
6) Apply the information in decision making
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DfE Alternatives Assessment (2005):
Flame Retardants in Furniture Foam
Human Health
Hazard Concerns
Environmental
Ecotoxicity
Hazard Concerns Hazard Concerns
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DfE Alternatives Assessments for
Priority Chemicals
Flame Retardants
in PCBs
BPA Alternatives in
Thermal Paper
HBCD Alternatives
in Foam Insulation
This summer:
NPEs Alternatives
Assessment
Flame retardant
alternatives to
decaBDE
This fall: Phthalates
Alternatives Assessment
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Upcoming Milestones – Current AAs
• BPA in Thermal Paper
– Developing draft hazard evaluations – On-going
– Post draft report for review & comment – September 2011
– Finalize report & publicize results – December 2011
• Alternatives to DecaBDE
– Developing draft hazard evaluations – On-going
– Post draft report for review & comment – October 2011
– Finalize report & publicize results – February 2012
• Alternatives to HBCD
– Refining list of functional alternatives – Now
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Requirements for the DfE Label
• Standard for Safer Cleaning Products
– Whole product requirements, such as pH and
synergistic effects
– Product performance
– Audits
– Ingredient disclosure
• Criteria for Safer Ingredients
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Surfactants
Solvents
Chelating Agents
Fragrances
Master Criteria (for all other ingredient classes)
• Partnership Agreement – 3 years
Available at www.epa.gov/dfe.
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Growth in Labeled Products
DfE Labeling:
Safer Chemicals Used and Labeled Products
2011
2010
2166
2009
Year
2520 products
1700
2008
883
2007
380
211
2006
2005
139
2004
84
2003
46
0
100
200
300
400
500
Safer Chemicals Used (million lbs)
600
700
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Greater Transparency & Enhancements to
the DfE Standard
• DfE Standard for Safer Cleaning Products
– Written in the format of an ANSI Standard
– Stakeholders are listed on the DfE website
– Enhancements are posted for public comment
• Stakeholder group helped propose
enhancements.
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Auditing
Enhanced packaging requirements
Definitional Improvements
Enhanced VOC requirements
Ingredient communication
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Enhancements – Packaging
• Requirements based on Sustainable Packaging Coalition
Criteria
– Is sourced, manufactured, transported, and recycled using renewable
energy;
– Optimizes the use of renewable or recycled source materials;
– Is manufactured using clean production technologies and best practices;
– Is made from materials healthful in all probable end-of-life scenarios;
– Is physically designed to optimize materials and energy; and
– Is effectively recovered and used in biological and/or industrial closedloop cycles
• Must attain 25% for partnership and improve over time
• Restricts heavy metals, BPA, and phthalates
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Enhancements – Auditing & VOCs
• Auditing
– Yearly review
• On-site audit
• Paper Audit
• Partnership renewal
• VOC Content
– Use strictest government criteria
• Either Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) or California Air
Resources Board (CARB)
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Enhancements –
Ingredient Communication
• All ingredients must be listed
• Non-confidential ingredients
– On the bottle, or
– An easily accessible location where
ingredients can be found (e.g., a place
on the formulator’s website)
• Confidential ingredients, dyes and
preservatives -- use a chemical
descriptive name
• Scent ingredients
Example of Acceptable Ingredient
Communication
– Can be listed on the label as “Fragrance”
– More detailed information must be provided elsewhere
• e.g., website list of the actual ingredients, or
• set of chemicals on the IFRA list
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Marketing
• Updated web site – sections for institutional purchasers,
consumers, and manufacturers
• Emphasize partner use of the label
and promotion of the brand
• Retailer promotions
– Safeway “shelf talkers” highlight
the DfE label
• Direct outreach to consumers
– Green Festival
– Facebook
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DfE Criteria Drive Development of
Safer Chemicals & Data
• DfE Criteria led to development of safer chemicals
– Surfactants (not previously in commerce) which are more
rapidly biodegradable
– Dow, BASF, Akzo Nobel
• DfE Criteria have driven development of new test data
– Biodegradation
– Aquatic toxicity
– Carcinogenicity
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Thank you!
For more information:
Libby Sommer
sommer.elizabeth@epa.gov
202-564-1065
For more information:
DfE: epa.gov/dfe
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