Stakeholder Initiative Seeks Common Ground on Public Policies for Chemical Ingredient Transparency

Clean Production Action (CPA) and the Northeast Waste Management Officials Association’s (NEWMOA) Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2) are launching a partnership to find common ground among key stakeholders on chemical ingredient transparency policies and programs.

The diversity of transparency mandates at the state level has been steadily increasing for the past ten years.

The States of California, Maine, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington have enacted requirements for public disclosure of chemicals of concern in cleaning products and/or children’s products.

Other states, including Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington have established requirements for labeling products and packaging for the presence of mercury.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the American Sustainable Business Council, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, Center for Environmental Health, Clean and Healthy New York, Mind the Store Campaign, Safer States, and Toxic-Free Future are advocating for greater disclosure across supply chains. Retailers, including Walmart, have established requirements for ingredient disclosure by their suppliers.

Ecolabels, such as the Safer Choice by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), require chemical ingredient transparency to meet their criteria.

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