The following press release was published by the US EPA on Sept. 22. It is reproduced in full below.
ATLANTA (Sept. 22, 2021) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized The Home Depot as a Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winner. The Atlanta, Georgia based company was among 33 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winners across 16 states and the District of Columbia for achievement in the design, manufacture, selection, and use of products with safer chemicals, as part of Pollution Prevention Week.
The Safer Choice program helps consumers and purchasers for facilities, such as schools and office buildings, find products that perform and are safer for human health and the environment. This year’s awardees have all shown a commitment to pollution prevention by reducing, eliminating, or preventing pollution at its source prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal.
“Today, we recognize the leadership and accomplishments of Safer Choice partners and stakeholders for their work helping consumers and commercial buyers identify products with safer chemical ingredients, without sacrificing quality or performance,” said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff. “Additionally, I’m excited to see that the work done by many of this year’s awardees support the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals of addressing climate change and advancing environmental justice.”
"We are proud to recognize The Home Depot and their commitment to make it easier for consumers to find products that are safer for communities and the environment," said EPA Acting Region 4 Administrator John Blevins. “As a Safer Choice Partner of the Year, The Home Depot also demonstrates that safer chemicals are good for business.”
Home Depot is recognized as an outstanding Safer Choice Retailer. In 2020, Home Depot carried 173 Safer Choice-certified products. These products are featured in a callout on Home Depot’s Eco Options website, which had more than 410,000 views in 2020. Combining the Safer Choice labels featured on the website with exposure from in-store signage and product labels resulted in potential reach of over 21 million per week. The Safer Choice certification was also featured in Home Depot’s 2020 Responsibility Report. The report included a spotlight for woman-and family-owned Safer Choice supplier and Home Depot partner, Jelmar. Safer Choice applauds Home Depot for their dedication to selling products with safer chemical ingredients.
Applicants for this year’s awards were encouraged to show how their work with safer chemistry promotes environmental justice, bolsters resilience to the impacts of climate change, results in cleaner air or water, or improves drinking water quality. The work of many of the organizations being recognized today addressed climate change, including by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, several awardees have worked to increase access to products with safer chemical ingredients in underserved communities. In the coming year, EPA hopes to build on this work by expanding the Safer Choice program to make products containing safer chemicals increasingly available to underserved communities, including communities of color and low-income communities.
The 2021 Partner of the Year award winners represent a wide variety of leadership organizations from each of the 10 EPA regions. These include businesses, comprising small- and medium-sized companies and women-owned companies; state and local governments; non-governmental organizations; associations; and others. The following organizations are being recognized this year:
• Household & Commercial Products Association, Washington, DC
• Jelmar, LLC, Skokie, Ill.
• Lake Monroe Sailing Association, Bloomington, Ind.
• Lemi Shine, Austin, Texas
• LightHouse For The Blind And Visually Impaired, San Francisco, Calif.
• LSI, Morristown, N.J.
• Novozymes North America, Raleigh, N.C.
• Oregon Department of Environmental Quality-Toxics Use Reduction Program, Ore.
• The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio
• PurposeBuilt Brands, Gurnee, Ill.
• Roger McFadden and Associates, LLC, Canby, Ore.
• Rust-Oleum Corporation, Vernon Hills, Ill.
• Sea Mar Community Health Centers, Seattle, Wash.
• Sensitive Home, Greenbrae, Calif.
• Seventh Generation, Burlington, Vt.
• University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Continuing Education Programs, Seattle, Wash.
• Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester, N.Y.
• Wexford Labs, Inc., Kirkwood, Mo.
More information on the 2021 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winners and summaries of their accomplishments are available at: http://www.eap.gov/saferchoice/safer-choice-partner-year-awards.
Source: US EPA
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