Green cleaning refers to using cleaning methods and products with environmentally friendly ingredients and procedures which are designed to preserve human health and environmental quality. Green cleaning techniques and products avoid the use of products which contain toxic chemicals, some of which emit volatile organic compounds causing respiratory, dermatological and other conditions. Green cleaning can also describe the way residential and industrial cleaning products are manufactured, packaged and distributed. If the manufacturing process is environmentally friendly and the products are biodegradable, then the term "green" or "eco-friendly" may apply.
Product labeling programs
Among the product-labeling programs is the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Design for the Environment program which labels products that meet EPA's criteria for chemicals. These products are allowed to carry the Design for the Environment label, renamed EPA Safer Choice in 2015. Generally, products which are labelled 'low' or 'zero' VOC are safer for human and animal health in the home as well as the environment. In addition, EPA's Toxic Substances Control Act addresses chemicals in the environment and makes regulatory rules to maximize human health. On October 15, 2017, California Governor Jerry Brownsigned into lawSenate Bill 258, the Cleaning Product Right to Know Act. The bill was brought to the floor by Senator Ricardo Lara and supported by some of the oldest green cleaning manufacturers, such as Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks of Earth Friendly Products and board member of the American Sustainable Business Council, as well as mainstream companies who are entering into the green cleaning space such as SC Johnson who recently purchased Mrs. Meyers and Method. The Cleaning ProductRight to Know Act makes California the first state to require ingredient labeling both on product labels and online for cleaning products. Unlike retail packaged food, no federal requirements exist for disclosing ingredients on cleaning products. The Cleaning Product Right to Know Act will require known hazardous chemicals in cleaning products to be listed on both product labels and online by 2020. The legislation lists 34 chemicals found in cleaning products that have been shown to cause cancer, birth defects, asthma and other serious health effects:
