Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is updating its Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL), a living list of chemicals by functional-use class that EPA’s Safer Choice program has evaluated and determined meet the Safer Choice Standard.
In this update, EPA is adding 22 chemicals to the SCIL. To expand the number of chemicals and functional-use categories on the SCIL, EPA encourages manufacturers to submit their safer chemicals to EPA for review and listing on the SCIL. In support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals, the addition of chemicals to the SCIL incentivizes further innovation in safer chemistry, which can promote environmental justice, bolster resilience to the impacts of climate change, and improve water quality. Chemicals on the SCIL are among the safest for their functional use.
EPA is also changing the status for one chemical on the SCIL and will remove the chemical from the list after one year because of a growing understanding of the potential health and environmental effects. This chemical was originally listed on the SCIL based on data from a closely related substance which has already been marked with a grey square on the SCIL earlier this year. EPA’s process for removing a chemical from the SCIL is to first mark the chemical with a grey square on the SCIL webpage to provide notice to chemical and product manufacturers that this chemical may no longer be acceptable for use in Safer Choice-certified products. A grey square notation on the SCIL means that the chemical may not be allowed for use in products that are candidates for the Safer Choice label, and any current Safer Choice-certified products that contain this chemical must be reformulated unless relevant health and safety data is provided to justify continuing to list this chemical on the SCIL. The data required would be determined on a case-by-case basis. In general, data useful for making such a determination would provide evidence of low concern for human health and environmental impacts. Unless information provided to EPA adequately justifies continued listing, this chemical would then be removed from the SCIL 12 months after the grey square designation.
After this update is made, there will be a total of 1,055 chemicals listed on SCIL. EPA is committed to updating the SCIL with safer chemicals on a regular basis.
The SCIL is a resource that can help many different stakeholders.
- Product manufacturers use the SCIL to help make high-functioning products that contain safer ingredients.
- Chemical manufacturers use this list to promote the safer chemicals they manufacture.
- Retailers use the list to help shape their sustainability programs.
- Environmental and health advocates use the list to support their work with industry to encourage the use of the safest possible chemistry.
EPA’s Safer Choice program certifies products containing ingredients that have met the program’s rigorous human health and environmental safety criteria. The Safer Choice program allows companies to use its label on products that meet the Safer Choice Standard. The EPA website contains a complete list of Safer Choice-certified products.