© 2014 PTS
IPAC-CSO
May 8, 2014
Charting the Course for
Sustainable Health Facility Care:
Cutting through the green hype to develop practical
approaches for sustainable health facility care
CLEAN FREAK
................................
Nicole Kenny BSc, Assoc Chem
Senior Director, Professional & Technical Services
Virox Technologies Inc
2
© 2014 PTS
Objectives
A review of NA Third Party Certification Programs
Review of the process by which products are
registered
Beware of Corporate Marketing Campaigns –
there are different shades of green!
Chemical disinfectants and cleaning products,
their use within healthcare and how we can use
sustainable alternatives
How a change in culture can improve sustainability
© 2014 PTS
NA Third Party Programs
Terrachoice EcoLogo Program
Green Seal
GreenGuard Environmental Institute
EPA Design for the Environment (DfE)
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) Green Building Rating System
© 2014 PTS
Green Certification Programs
Who can help weed through the muck..
© 2014 PTS
EcoLogo Program
Launched in 1988 by the Canadian
Federal Government, a for profit
program managed by TerraChoice, UL
Environment
Recognized across NA with >120
categories
Thousands of EcoLogo-certified
products from over 100 manufacturers
© 2014 PTS
EcoLogo Program
Products are Certified for reduced
environmental impact.
ECOLOGO Certifications are
voluntary, multi-attribute, lifecycle
based environmental certifications that
indicate a product has undergone
rigorous scientific testing, exhaustive
auditing, or both, to prove its
compliance with stringent, third-party,
environmental performance standards.
© 2014 PTS
EcoLogo Program
EcoLogo Certification Criteria Documents (CCDs)
are developed in an open, public and transparent
process
Broad base of stakeholder participation including
user groups, product producers, environmental nongovernment organizations, and other environmental
advocates
The criteria address multiple environmental
attributes related to human health and environmental
considerations throughout the life cycle of a product
© 2014 PTS
CCD Criteria
CCD Category
Title
Product Types
UL 2845 (CCD 103)
Personal Care Products
Soaps, Shampoos, Body Wash,
Moisturizers, Conditioner
UL 2783 (CCD 170)
Instant Hand Antiseptics
Waterless hand sanitizers &
antiseptics
UL 2784 (CCD 104)
Hand Cleaners – Industrial &
Institutional
Industrial Heavy Duty, Institutional
UL 2776 (CCD 105)
Liquid Laundry Detergent and
Fabric Softeners
Laundry Detergents
UL 2759 (CCD 146)
Hard Surface Cleaners
Dishes, Bathroom, Degreasers,
General Purpose, Window & Glass
UL 2777 (CCD 147)
Floor Care Products
Neutralizers, Sealers, Floor Finish,
Strippers, Restorers
UL 2795 (CCD 148)
Carpet & Upholstery Cleaners
Cleaners (Carpet), Spot and Stain
Removers
UL 2794 (CCD 166)
Disinfectants and Disinfectant
Cleaners
Disinfectants and Disinfectant
Cleaners
© 2014 PTS
Green Seal
Green Seal is a non-profit
organization that has been actively
identifying and promoting sustainability
in the marketplace, and helping
organizations be greener in a real and
effective way since 1989.
Develop life cycle-based sustainability
standards for products, services and
companies and offer third-party
certification for those that meet the
criteria in the standard.
© 2014 PTS
Green Seal Categories
GS Category
Title
Product Types
GS-37
Industrial and Institutional
Cleaners
GP, Glass Cleaners,
Bathroom, Carpet
Cleaners
GS-40
Industrial and Institutional
Floor Finishes and Floor
Strippers
Finishes and Strippers
GS-41
Hand Cleaners and Hand
Soaps for Industrial and
Institutional Hand
Purposes
Heavy Duty Hand
Cleaners and Institutional
Hand Cleaners
GS-42
Commercial and
Institutional Cleaning
Services
© 2014 PTS
GreenGuard Certification
GREENGUARD Certification is part of UL Environment
(same group as EcoLogo)
GREENGUARD Certification helps manufacturers
create--and helps buyers identify--interior products and
materials that have low chemical emissions, improving
the quality of the air in which the products are used.
GreenGuard Children and Schools standard which
evaluates the sensitive nature of school populations
combined with the unique building characteristics found
in schools
© 2014 PTS
GreenGuard
GreenGuard Standards for Low-Emitting
Products certifies Cleaners and Cleaning
Maintenance Systems, Floor Finish Applicable to:
General cleaners, Glass cleaners, Toilet
cleaners, Floor cleaners, Carpet cleaners,
Hard surface cleaners
Institutional cleaning systems, Maintenance
systems
Aerosol products
Wood Floor Finishes, Hard Surface Floor
Finishes
© 2014 PTS
EPA Design for the Environment
EPA's Design for the
Environment program helps
consumers, businesses, and
institutional buyers identify
cleaning and other products
that perform well, are costeffective, and are safer for the
environment.
© 2014 PTS
EPA Design for the Environment
Formulator Partnership encourages partners to
reformulate products to be environmentally safer,
cost competitive and effective
Industrial/Institutional Cleaning Partnership is section that
manufacturers submit products for review
Detergent Ingredients Partnership provides a tool that
provides reliable identification of ingredients with optimal
performance and environmental characteristics
DfE Antimicrobial Pesticide Pilot Project – moving towards
the green of the pesticide spectrum using only Hydrogen
Peroxide, Citric Acid or Lactic Acid as the active ingredient
© 2014 PTS
LEED Green Building Rating System
LEED = Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
A third party program and the nationally accepted
benchmark for the design, construction and operation of
high performance green buildings
Recognizes performance in 5 areas:
Sustainable site development
Water savings
Energy Efficiency
Materials Selection
Indoor Environmental Quality
© 2014 PTS
16
The LEED Program
There are 100 possible points distributed across 5 major
credit categories & 2 additional categories:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
Sustainable Sites
Water Efficiency
Energy and Atmosphere
Materials and Resources
Indoor Environmental Quality
Innovation in Design (6 points)
Regional Priority (4 points)
Building can qualify for four levels of certification:
Certified: 40–49 points
Silver: 50–59 points
Gold: 60–79 points
Platinum: 80 points and above
© 2014 PTS
The 7 Sins of Greenwashing:
Green, Greener, Greenest!
© 2014 PTS
What is Greenwashing?
The act of misleading consumers regarding the
environmental practices of a company or the
environmental benefits of a product or service
Green Markets are strong and growing.
In 2010, the “greener” product offerings
increased by 73% from 2739 product choices in
2009 to 4744 in 2010
Source: The Sins of Greenwashing Home and Family Edition 2010.
www.terrachoice.com
© 2014 PTS
The Sin of Hidden Trade Off
 Suggests a product is green based on a
single environmental attribute or an
unreasonably narrow set of attributes
 Such claims are not false, but are used to
paint a greener picture of the product
than a more complete environmental
analysis would support

Paper & Lumber products that promote their
recycled content or sustainable harvesting
practices without attention to manufacturing
impacts such as air emissions, water emissions
and global warming impacts
© 2014 PTS
The Sin of No Proof
 A claim that cannot be
substantiated by easily
accessible supporting information
or by a reliable 3rd party
certification

Personal care products that claim not to
have been tested on animals, but offer no
evidence or certification of this claim
© 2014 PTS
The Sin of Vagueness
 Committed by every claim that is so
poorly defined or broad that its real
meaning is likely to be misunderstood by
the intended consumer

Chemical-free – nothing is free of
chemicals, water is a chemical, all plants
and animals are made of chemicals; All
natural – arsenic, uranium, mercury and
formaldehyde are all natural, but are
poisonous
© 2014 PTS
The Sin of Irrelevance
 This sin is committed by making an
environmental claim that may be
truthful but is unimportant and
unhelpful for consumers seeking
environmentally preferable products
 It is irrelevant and distracts the
consumer from finding a truly
greener option

CFC-Free, CFCs have been legally
banned for almost 30 years, there
are no products manufactured using
CFCs
© 2014 PTS
The Sin of the Lesser of Two Evils
 These are green claims that may
be true within the product
category, but that risk distracting
the consumer from the greater
environmental impacts of the
category as a whole

Organic cigarettes; Green insecticides
and herbicides
© 2014 PTS
The Sin of Fibbing
 Committed by making
environmental claims that are
simply false

Shampoos claimed to be certified
organic but research could not find
certification support; A dishwasher
detergent claimed 100% recycled
paper but packaged in a plastic
container
© 2014 PTS
The Sin Worshiping False Labels
 Committed by a product that,
through either words or
images, gives the impression
of third-party endorsement
where no such endorsement
actually exists!

Aluminum foil with certification-like
images that show the name of the
company's own in-house environmental
program for which there is no
explanation.
© 2014 PTS
Distribution of the Sins
Source: The Sins of Greenwashing Home and Family Edition 2010. www.terrachoice.com
© 2014 PTS
Green Marketing Guidelines
Canadian Competition Bureau of CSA has released
a Green marketing guideline titled “Environmental
Claims: A Guide for Industry and Advertisers
The use of vague claims implying general
environmental improvement are insufficient and
should be avoided
Environmental claims should be clear, specific,
accurate and not misleading
Environmental claims should be verifies and
substantiated prior to being made
© 2014 PTS
Virox’s Road to “Greenness”
© 2014 PTS
Corporate Green Stance
Virox is committed to innovating, developing and
improving peroxide based environmentally
sustainable cleaners and disinfectants that allow
our affiliates to reduce their environmental impact
when consuming such necessary products. A
focus on health and environmental sustainability
is a legacy we will pass on to future generations.
© 2014 PTS
How we Got to LEED Silver?
2007: AHP becomes Canada’s First EcoLogo certified green
cleaner-disinfectant
2008: Virox was the only Canadian company awarded the
Chemical Manufacturers and Product Formulators Champion
Status, indentifying their patented Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide
(AHP) technology as a sustainable technology.
2009: AHP Cleaners received Green Seal and GreenGuard
certification
2010: Virox received ISO 14001 (Environmental Management
System) registration which measures and documents our
environmental impact.
2014: First DfE Certified EPA Registered Hospital Grade
Disinfectant
© 2014 PTS
Virox LEED Projects
Mechanical system upgrades, to enhance
occupant thermal comfort and energy efficiency.
Lighting upgrades to provide more efficient, more
uniform lighting levels and better quality of light to
all areas - manufacturing, warehousing and office.
Plumbing upgrades, to increase water efficiency
and user-friendliness throughout the facility.
Installation of a BT Radioshuttle System to allow
for high-density racking of manufactured goods.
© 2014 PTS
Virox LEED Projects
Installation of a "Get Green System" which
lowers fuel costs and reduces CO emissions.
Installation of KVAR Energy Controllers to
reduce our electrical energy consumption and
reduce electrical demand from the Electrical Grid.
Implementation of a robust sustainable
purchasing program for continuing environmental
choices on procurement.
© 2014 PTS
Virox LEED Projects
Implementation of a single-stream recycling program
that includes corrugate, plastic (bottles and shrink wrap)
and paper across the company which has diverted over
25,000 kg of recyclable waste from landfill (240 garbage
containers)
Implementation of a recycling program which converts
the self-adhesive label backings and corrugate cores to
material used for outdoor decking and diverted over
30,000 kg of waste from landfill (300 garbage containers)
Implementation of a Daylight Cleaning Program which
utilizes the AHP-based EcoLogo certified products
© 2014 PTS
Why go Green?
“It's the right thing to do.”
The Green Team was challenged to achieve
LEED certification and through the process we
created a company that has completely changed
its culture and embraced the challenge of being
the greenest of the green with such a passion
that we achieved LEED Silver status.
© 2014 PTS
Celebrating Earth Day 2014!
© 2014 PTS
Questions?
Nicole Kenny, B.Sc, Assoc Chem
Senior Director, Professional & Technical
Services
Phone: 1-800-387-7578 x118
Email: nkenny@virox.com
Twitter: @nicolecronkenny
Blog:
www.talkcleantome.com
LinkedIn: Talk Clean To Me group