Clorox Takes Another Step in its Path to Transparency

Nearly two years ago I did a story on this blog about how cleaning product companies were "coming clean," and listing the ingredients in such Windex and Formula 409.  Now one of those companies, The Clorox Company, is taking another step toward transparency in chemical labeling.  Last week the company issued a press release announcing that "it is now disclosing the following additional information about its products through its Ingredients Inside program:"

• Specific identity of preservatives and dyes in all U.S. and Canadian cleaning, disinfecting and laundry products. This information expands upon the listing of active ingredients, which has been provided to consumers over the last two years.
• Palette of fragrance ingredients - listed in numerical and alphabetical order - used in all U.S. and Canadian cleaning, disinfecting and laundry products. Clorox is also including a link to a PDF file that includes each fragrance ingredient's CAS Registry Number, the unique numerical identifier assigned by the Chemical Abstracts Service to every chemical available in open scientific literature, as well as the fragrance chemical names, provided by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).

Besides the well known household staple, Clorox bleach, The Clorox Company also makes "Pine-Sol^® cleaners, Poett^® home care products, Fresh Step^® cat litter, Kingsford^® charcoal, Hidden Valley^® and K C Masterpiece^® dressings and sauces, Brita^® water-filtration products, Glad^® bags and wraps and containers, and Burt's Bees^® natural personal care products."

Revealing their chemical ingredients is a big deal given that "nearly 90 percent of Clorox Company brands hold the No. 1 or No. 2 market share positions in their categories."  That means these market leaders will likely have a large influence (aka peer pressure) on other cleaning product companies to reveal their ingredients in order to compete for the "green market" business.

More information about the program can be found on Clorox's "Ingredients Inside" page.

Poll by Cleaning Products Organization Shows People Like Antibacterial Soaps

Questions have been raised about the use of antibacterial soaps, but a new poll released by the American Cleaning Institute (formerly the Soap and Detergent Association), finds that "the vast majority of Americans uses antibacterial soap and finds it to be a useful tool to prevent the spread of germs."  In fact, according to the survey conducted by Fabrizio, Ward and Associates, about "two-thirds of Americans would be “angry” at any government attempts to ban the products."

According to ACI, among the key findings of the poll:

• Nearly three-quarters of American consumers (74%) use antibacterial soap (56% use it regularly), finding it a very useful tool to prevent the spread of germs at home, in health care settings, schools, restaurants, child care centers, and public restrooms 
• 75% of moms with children in the household would be “angry” if the government took antibacterial soap off the market
• Overall, two-thirds of consumers would be upset if the government took antibacterial soap off the market
• 84% of adults do not have any health or environmental concerns about antibacterial soap
• By an eight-to-one margin, consumers would rather have the choice to buy antibacterial soap over removing it from the market based on alleged health and environment concerns

The poll results can be seen in this presentation.

The American Cleaning Institute represents "producers of household, industrial, and institutional cleaning products, their ingredients and finished packaging; oleochemical producers; and chemical distributors to the cleaning product industry."  Their web site is: http://www.cleaninginstitute.org/

Soap and Detergent Association Renames Itself the American Cleaning Institute

It's official. The American Cleaning Institute(ACI) is the new name of the former Soap and Detergent Association (SDA). While SDA had announced the change several months ago it has now official and the new website (www.CleaningInstitute.org) has gone live.

From ACI's press release:

"Our new name, brand and website enable us to better tell the story of how cleaning products and practices contribute to better living," said ACI Board Chair Jane Hutterly, EVP of Worldwide Corporate & Environmental Affairs, S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. "Our industry's commitment to a more sustainable world and enhancing health and the quality of life is stronger than ever and will be well represented by the American Cleaning Institute."

Membership includes the manufacturers and formulators of household, industrial, and institutional cleaning products, their ingredients and finished packaging; oleochemical producers; and chemical distributors to the cleaning product industry. ACI and its members are dedicated to improving health and the quality of life through sustainable cleaning products and practices.

New "Natural Products" Certification

The Natural Products Association, a Washington-based group representing manufacturers and retailers including Clorox Co. and Whole Foods Market, released new standards last month for natural home care products. It seems that there is concern that products like household cleaners and detergents can say on they are natural on their labels when in fact they are made mostly of synthetic ingredients. So NPA issued guidelines, and products that meet those standards will be able to display the association's seal (see above).

Most people think that natural means that the product's ingredients are derived from renewable resources like plants and minerals. But believe it or not, NPA is the first to issue a uniform standard among manufacturers for use of the word in home-care products.

To display the seal, products will have to meet criteria that include:

- 95% of the ingredients in the product, excluding water, must be derived from natural sources.

- non-natural ingredients should be used only when alternative natural ingredients are unavailable.

- the product should contain no ingredients with suspected human health risks.

NPA says it is reviewing full ingredient lists from manufacturers who have applied for certification to determine whether their products qualify. The seal will be seen on products in the next several months.

More information can be found at the NPA site.

Soap and Detergent Association to Become American Cleaning Institute

The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA), a trade association representing the cleaning and laundry product industry for more than 80 years, will formally change its name to the American Cleaning Institute (ACI). The change, which is to officially take place in June of this year, was announced at the 84th Annual Meeting & Industry Convention being held this week in Florida.

The new logo is above, and the new tagline is "For Better Living," which is "what our products and ingredients are all about, describing how the cleaning products industry contributes positively to society." In their press release SDA (soon to be ACI) said:

"Under the ACI banner, the Institute will still reflect our organization's vision: to enhance health and the quality of life through sustainable cleaning products and practices," said Ernie Rosenberg, SDA President & CEO. "The Institute will continue to support the sustainability of the cleaning products industry through research, education, outreach and science-based advocacy."

More information about the switch and about SDA (ACI) can be found on their website at www.cleaning101.com. Other cleaning product news can be found here.