 Join Jennie Romer, EPA’s Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pollution Prevention, and EPA's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing program for a webinar on July 10, 2024, from 2-3 p.m. ET to continue the conversation about reusable food service ware, an important strategy for preventing pollution. Hear from reuse experts from across the country on how businesses, cities, states, and non-profits are working together to scale reuse in their communities, including a community-wide reusable food service ware system in Hilo, Hawai’i supported through an EPA Pollution Prevention grant.
This webinar is part of EPA’s Pollution Prevention in Action series which examines key sustainability topics, from reducing or eliminating PFAS in products to source reduction solutions in industrial sectors.
 Seated left to right: Dr. Jitesh Soares, Senior Director, Scientific Advancement, American Chemical Society; Al Horvath, Chief Executive Officer, American Chemical Society; Dr. Elissa Reaves, Ph.D., Director, EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics; and Jennie Romer, EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pollution Prevention.
In May, EPA and the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Green Chemistry Institute renewed their agreement to co-sponsor the annual Green Chemistry Challenge Awards through 2029. The EPA and ACS collaboration has spanned more than a quarter century and resulted in 139 awards for new and innovative chemical technologies that provide solutions to significant environmental challenges, and spur innovation and economic development. Winners of the 2024 awards will be announced this fall and a call for nominations for the 2025 awards is coming soon!
EPA published a summary of comments on the proposed expansion of the Safer Choice and Design for the Environment (DfE) programs to include certification of additional product categories. EPA thanks the many commenters for their input and interest in the proposed expansion. EPA reviewed the comments and understands several new categories are of interest. However, with the 2024 decrease in EPA’s funding, the Agency is not able to pursue expansion at this time. EPA plans to reconsider expansion as resources allow.
The Safer Choice program will continue to certify products, upholding its high standards for safer ingredients and performance. The program also is working to ensure current partners and stakeholders do not experience delays in customer service. As part of maintaining existing standards and customer service, the program is slowing or pausing non-essential activities such as the proposed expansion. The program will, however, work to finalize updates to the Safer Choice Standard.
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In April, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a final rule from the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council that strengthens existing sustainable products requirements by directing Federal buyers to maximize their use of sustainable products and services. The rule directs agencies to follow EPA’s Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing and procure products certified by EPA’s Watersense and Safer Choice programs. EPA’s Recommendations help purchasers identify thousands of American-made products and services that address environmental and human health issues across the lifecycle including energy and water efficiency, chemicals of concern, plastic use and reduction, and more.
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Final Rule Directs Federal Agencies to Follow EPA’s Purchasing Recommendations for Sustainable Products
Biden-Harris Administration is directing government contractors to purchase cleaning products for federal buildings that are free of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This change is the result of a collaboration between EPA and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to implement President Biden’s Federal Sustainability Plan, which directs Federal agencies to prioritize the purchase of sustainable products and services including products without added PFAS. The change is reflected in GSA’s custodial specification. Contractors will be required to use products certified to ecolabels such as certain Green Seal certifications or EPA’s Safer Choice.
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 State pollution prevention officials from New England announce the BetterBev Green Craft Beverage Recognition Program at the New England Brew Summit in Portland, Maine this spring.
The states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont have launched the “BetterBev Green Craft Beverage Recognition Program,” a sustainability initiative funded in part by grants from the EPA’s P2 Program. Beverage producers can earn BetterBev recognition after their state performs an assessment of their environmental practices and associated impacts, which include criteria such as waste reduction, wastewater reduction, environmentally preferable cleaning and sanitizing. Beverage producers reaching specific performance thresholds will earn the BetterBev recognition. Brewers that don’t reach the required thresholds receive technical assistance to improve their performance. For example, brewers that want to use safe and effective cleaning strategies receive assistance from experts at the Toxics Use Reduction Institute’s Cleaning Lab, an EPA P2 grantee.
P2 Helpline
The P2 Hub Helpline offers information and resources about pollution prevention. Please contact the Helpline at p2hub@epa.gov or (202) 566-0799.
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