Senators Coons, Husted introduce bipartisan legislation to authorize and strengthen EPA’s Safer Choice Program

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Jon Husted (R-Ohio) today introduced the Safer Choice Program Authorization Act (SCPAA) to formally authorize and strengthen the Environmental Protection Agency's voluntary Safer Choice Program. The Safer Choice Program helps consumers, businesses, schools, and institutions identify cleaning and other products that meet rigorous standards for human health, environmental safety, and performance.

The SCPAA codifies EPA's long-standing Safer Choice and Design for the Environment Programs, which have helped drive innovation in safer chemistry for decades while providing consumers and institutional purchasers with a trusted federal label for safer products. The Safer Choice and Design for the Environment programs have operated successfully for more than 30 years under administrations of both parties but have never been formally authorized by Congress. The SCPAA would provide statutory certainty for these widely used programs and the stakeholders that depend on them.

"Delaware is a state of innovators. To continue that legacy, we need to give businesses and entrepreneurs every opportunity to deliver the best results for consumers and the environment," said Senator Coons, co-chair of the Senate Chemistry Caucus. "This legislation provides long-term certainty for manufacturers so they can invest in safer chemistry, and so Americans can continue to lead in innovation."

"Ohioans want to be able to trust that the products they are using in their homes are not only effective, but safe for their families. The EPA's Safer Choice Program helps Americans identify products that are both effective and made with ingredients that are safer for people and the environment. Our bipartisan bill would support and authorize this important program while expanding consumer choice in their everyday products. I'm proud to co-lead this effort to protect Americans' health and keep our environment clean," said Senator Husted.

The bill would:

• Formally authorize EPA's Safer Choice Program
• Maintain rigorous, science-based standards for participating products
• Strengthen protections against conflicts of interest in product reviews
• Ensure continued maintenance of EPA's Safer Chemical Ingredients List
• Support transparency, stakeholder engagement, and public access to safer product information

The legislation has earned support from a wide variety of industry leaders, manufacturers, sustainability organizations, and cleaning product stakeholders.

"Safer Choice delivers real-world value at scale, reflected in the nearly 400 businesses that count on the program as a trusted, nationally recognized federal benchmark," said Steve Caldeira, president and CEO of the Household & Commercial Products Association."As a long-standing and strong advocate for Safer Choice, HCPA is proud to support legislation that would provide stability, direction, and dedicated resources to this highly regarded manufacturer partnership program."

"ACI commends Senators Coons and Husted for their leadership in introducing the Safer Choice Program Authorization Act," said Jennifer Abril, president and CEO of American Cleaning Institute. "The Safer Choice program is a leading example of how a government-led, voluntary program can leverage private-sector expertise to support safer product innovations and deliver meaningful benefits to consumers and the marketplace. ACI and the Cleaning Products Industry strongly support authorizing and strengthening this successful program within EPA."

"The EPA Safer Choice Program has spent decades being the stamp of approval for cleaning products that are both high-performing and safer for people and the environment," said John Nothdurft, vice president of government and public affairs, ISSA. "This bill gives manufacturers the certainty to invest, gives purchasers a trusted federal benchmark, and gives the American public confidence that the products used in cleaning their schools, hospitals, and workplaces meet a rigorous, science-based standard. ISSA strongly supports this legislation and urges Congress to act."

"IFF supports efforts to codify EPA's Safer Choice Program, which provides a rigorous, science-based framework for advancing safer ingredients in the household and personal care sector. By reinforcing consistency, label integrity, and stakeholder engagement, this legislation helps drive innovation while meeting evolving consumer and regulatory expectations. It is an important step forward for sustainable chemistry," said Leticia Gonçalves Lourenco, president of health and biosciences, at International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF).

"EPA's Safer Choice program works because the market has validated it. Companies across the value chain have built real business decisions around it, which has served to increase their market share," said David Levine, co-founder and president at American Sustainable Business Network. "This federal program delivers results for businesses and consumers. Over 100 signers, including major business and trade associations like the American Sustainable Business Network and the Household & Commercial Products Association (HCPA), ISSA - The Association for Clean & Facility Solutions, Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility, alongside individual companies of every size, send a clear signal to Congress: this program has earned its place in statute and needs to be authorized."

"The Safer Choice Program is a model government program - broadly supported and highly effective, producing benefits for business, health, and environment. The Safer Choice Authorization Act codifies this voluntary program, ensuring its long-term viability and expansion over time to provide even greater economic and societal benefits. Change Chemistry and its member companies strongly support this bill," said Joel Tickner, strategic advisor at Change Chemistry.

"We thank Senators Coons and Husted for the introduction of the Safer Choice Authorization Act, which will establish the Safer Choice Program which provides the development of innovative products that are science-based, and are transparent way to identify products that are safer for the people and the planet, supporting informed purchasing decisions and promoting safer chemical innovation for our consumers, businesses, and the environment," said Rina Singh, PhD, executive vice president at Alternative Fuels & Chemicals Coalition (AFCC).

"BASF's ambition is to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers' green transformation. We are therefore a longstanding supporter of Safer Choice, proudly offering a continually growing portfolio of household, industrial, and institutional cleaning products on its Safer Chemical Ingredients List," said Catherine Trinkle, vice president and deputy general counsel; regulatory, environmental & government affairs, BASF Corporation."We applaud Senators Coons and Husted for introducing this legislation and encourage Congress to move forward with formal authorization of the Safer Choice and Design for the Environment (DfE) programs as soon as possible."

Bill summary is available here.

Bill text is available here.