The Greening Of Specialty Cleaners ■ Grout cleaners ■ Leather and upholstery cleaners ■ Odor removers ■ Oven cleaners ■ Enzymatic cleaners ■ Automotive cleaners ■ Dish soaps. “Cleaning professionals, along with indus-trial and institutional purchasers, are con-tinuing to seek cleaning products that are safer for workers and building inhabitants, and this applies to specialty cleaning prod-ucts as well,” says Dr. Arthur Weissman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Green Seal Inc. “In fact, today, many are mandated to do so. It is because of this that we launched the Green Seal Standard for Specialty Cleaning (GS-53). Now, virtually all cleaners [including specialty cleaners] can be Green Seal-certified, which helps make facilities healthier and the job of securing environmentally preferable prod-ucts much easier and more efficient.” in federal facilities as long as such products meet agency performance requirements. As mandates and directives to purchase environmentally preferred products and services have become more prevalent, third-party, independent organizations such as Green Seal have developed standards and criteria that manufacturers must meet in order for a product to be labeled “green certified.” The label allows cleaning professionals and others to easily identify such products. Today, a call for Green Seal certifica-tion is invariably included in “requests for proposals” (RFPs) for building maintenance products and services. This is because “Green Seal certifica-tion is a useful tool for identifying effective ‘green’ products and services,” says Stacey Foreman, sustainable procurement coordi-nator for the city of Portland, Oregon. As it pertains to specialty cleaning prod-ucts, GS-53 helps cleaning profession-als, as well as procurement managers like Foreman, identify those that are environ-mentally preferable. As with other green cleaning product standards, GS-53 criteria cover such things as the following: ■ Functional performance criteria A GS-53-certified cleaning product must meet specific performance requirements to demonstrate that it cleans common soils and surfaces in its category effectively per the manufacturer’s recommended dilution levels for routine cleaning. ■ Health and environmental require-ments Carcinogens and other potentially haz-ardous chemicals have traditionally been used in specialty cleaning products. GS-53 prohibits the use of such chemi-cals as formaldehyde donors, 2-butoxyeth-anol, phthalates, heavy metals and more. These products must also have low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), be readily biodegradable and be nontoxic to aquatic life. ■ Manufacturing sustainability require-ments GS-53 requires that manufacturers keep records on the use of resources in manu-facturing and distribution, including energy and water use, emissions and waste from manufacturing. They must also demonstrate social responsibility regarding fair labor practices and safe working conditions. ■ Sustainable packaging requirements Because packaging can be a significant factor in the environmental impact for spe-cialty cleaning products, GS-53 requires responsible use of packaging materials including plastic packaging that, among other things, is either recyclable, lightweight or includes 25 percent post-consumer material. ■ Training and labeling requirements The final criteria in GS-53 focuses on proper training and use of the product, including applicable step-by-step instruc-tions for dilution and use as well as informa-tion on consequences of improper dilution and use, proper disposal and the use of personal protective equipment. What This Means To You Using certified green or environmentally preferable cleaning products allows clean-ing professionals to meet the requirements of the Executive Orders discussed earlier. But, there are far greater and much broader implications for the professional cleaning industry as well. It also means that these products, includ-ing those specialty products now certified under GS-53, are safer for the user. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2010, janitors and cleaners suffered more than 46,000 injuries requiring days away from work. They also had the sixteenth highest injury rate of all occupations. Many of these injuries were the result of using powerful, non-green cleaning chemi-cals as well as using cleaning products improperly. The use of green cleaning products is designed to help reduce these injury num-bers. In addition, the availability of credible, independent certification for manufactur-ers to pursue makes it easier for pur-chasers to identify green and sustainable products. This has eliminated considerable confu-sion, allowed purchasers to make more reli-able decisions and greatly enhanced pro-tection of the environment and the health and safety of all building users. CM What Makes Them Green? While most cleaning professionals and facil-ity managers have heard the terms “green certified” and “environmentally preferable” when referring to cleaning products, it is often surprising how few — even in the pro-fessional cleaning industry — fully under-stand what they mean. The terms date back to early the 1990s when President Bill Clinton issued man-dates requiring green or environmentally preferable products to be used in all federal facilities around the world. In 1993, Executive Order 12873 includ-ed the phrase “environmentally prefer-able products” (EPPs), which was used to describe products, including cleaning products, that have a reduced impact on the environment when compared to con-ventional products used for the same or a similar purpose. The Executive Order also directed pur-chasers to consider the lifecycle of prod-ucts and services. Subsequent presidential administrations have continued the trend. In 2009, for example, President Barack Obama issued Executive Order 13514 requiring the use of environmentally pref-erable products with ingredients that are non-ozone depleting, nontoxic or less toxic 20 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • October 2012
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