The following press release was published by the US EPA on Sept. 21. It is reproduced in full below.
SEATTLE, WA (Sept. 22, 2021) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is recognizing 33 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winners for achievement in the design, manufacture, selection, and use of products with safer chemicals, as part of Pollution Prevention Week. This is the 7th annual Safer Choice Partner of the Year awards. Included in this year’s awards are eight winners in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
Tim Hamlin, Director of EPA’s Region 10 Land, Chemicals and Redevelopment Division, said, “We’re proud to recognize our outstanding local Safer Choice partners of the year. Their leadership and innovation in safer chemistry results in cleaner air and water for everyone living in the Pacific Northwest. We look forward to our continued partnerships to increase access to products that perform and are safer for people’s health and our environment."
When the Safer Choice label appears on a product, it means that EPA has evaluated every ingredient in the product for potential human health and environmental effects and that the product contains only ingredients that pose the least concern. Safer Choice certified products help consumers and commercial buyers identify products that meet performance standards and are made with safer ingredients.
Safer Choice Partner of the Year also recognizes organizations like the Sea Mar Community Health Centers Safer Choice certified awareness campaigns. Ninfa Quiroz, Community Relations Department Director of Sea Mar comments, “The team worked enthusiastically, staying strong in their commitment to educate the community to use Safer Choice certified cleaning products instead of toxic disinfectants.”
King County’s Hazardous Waste Management Program, a Safer Choice Partner of the Year, also taught individuals how to identify and use Safer Choice certified products, “We are committed to raising awareness of the value of products with chemical ingredients that meet Safer Choice criteria,” said Lynda Ransley, Program Director.
The Safer Choice program aims to encourage companies to develop effective products with safer chemical ingredients. Safer Choice Partner of the Year Defunkify, of Eugene, Oregon, is a leading green chemistry innovator. “At the root of our success is our ProvenSafe™ Process, a cutting-edge approach to formulation that uses Safer Choice approved ingredients as the building blocks for every Defunkify product we create. Together, we'll make every home cleaner, safer and more sustainable,” said Richard Geiger, CEO at Defunkify.
The 2021 Partner of the Year award winners represent a wide variety of leadership organizations from EPA Region 10. These include businesses, including small- and medium-sized companies; state and local governments; non-governmental organizations; associations; and others. The following organizations are being recognized:
Visit EPA's Safer Choice Partner of the Year Awards for more information including summaries of this year's award winners and their accomplishments.
Source: US EPA
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