Green Seal vs. EPA Safer Choice: What Do the Labels Mean?

Green Seal vs Safer Choice, side by side

Both labels mean a product has been reviewed by someone other than its maker. They differ in who does the reviewing and what they emphasize.

What Green Seal certified cleaning products have to meet

Green Seal writes its own standards and certifies products against them. GS-37 covers general-purpose, restroom, glass and carpet cleaners for industrial and institutional use; GS-40 covers floor finishes and strippers. The standards limit substances such as carcinogens and reproductive toxins, cap volatile organic compounds, favor concentrates and recyclable packaging, and require the product to perform comparably to conventional products.

Green Seal also publishes GS-42, a standard for cleaning services rather than products. It audits how a cleaning operation trains staff, chooses equipment and handles waste. Saying "we use Green Seal products" and saying "our service holds GS-42 certification" are different claims, so ask which one a vendor means.

What the EPA Safer Choice label means

Safer Choice looks at chemistry ingredient by ingredient. Each chemical in the product must meet the program's criteria for its functional role (surfactant, solvent, fragrance and so on), and many qualifying chemicals appear on EPA's Safer Chemical Ingredients List. The program also checks product performance, pH and packaging, and requires ingredients to be disclosed.

A Safer Choice Fragrance-Free label marks products with no fragrance ingredients at all, which is useful in buildings with occupants who are sensitive to scent.

Where disinfectants fit: EPA registration and the DfE logo

Disinfectants and sanitizers are pesticides under federal law, registered by EPA's pesticide program and identified by an EPA registration number on the label. Safer Choice does not apply to them, and GS-37, Green Seal's standard for general commercial cleaners, excludes any product that must be registered under the federal pesticide law. EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) logo marks registered antimicrobial products that also meet Safer Choice-level criteria.

A green cleaning program therefore still uses registered disinfectants where they are needed, such as restroom fixtures and touchpoints, and uses third-party labeled cleaners everywhere else.

California rules that apply regardless of the label

Third-party labels sit on top of state and federal rules rather than replacing them. These apply to cleaning products used in California commercial buildings:

• Cleaning Product Right to Know Act of 2017 (SB 258): ingredient disclosure on labels and online for cleaning products sold in California
• California Air Resources Board consumer products regulation (Title 17, California Code of Regulations, section 94507 and following): VOC limits for many cleaning product categories
• Cal/OSHA hazard communication (Title 8 section 5194): safety data sheets and training for hazardous products, green-labeled or not
• FTC Green Guides (16 CFR Part 260): environmental marketing claims such as "eco-friendly" must be specific and supported

Questions to ask a cleaning contractor about green products

EBS Maintenance offers green cleaning with non-toxic, biodegradable products on request and uses EPA-approved disinfectants for high-touch surfaces. If your building requires a particular label, raise it at the walkthrough so the scope's product list reflects it.

• Which products will be used in each area, and which third-party label does each carry
• Which areas get registered disinfectants, and what their contact times are
• Whether dilution-control dispensers are used so concentrates are mixed correctly
• Whether vacuums are HEPA-filtered and cloths are microfiber
• Where safety data sheets for every product are kept on site