Over 100 groups back EPA Safer Choice authorization

By AI, Created 7:06 PM UTC, June 03, 2026, /AGP/ – More than 100 businesses, trade groups, investors and public health organizations are urging Congress to authorize and fund EPA’s Safer Choice program after senators introduced bipartisan legislation on June 3, 2026. The coalition says the program already drives safer product innovation and market demand, but needs statutory protection to avoid disruption.

Why it matters: - The coalition says EPA’s Safer Choice program helps companies identify safer ingredients in consumer and institutional products. - Signers argue the program has already created market value, public health benefits and a competitive edge for products that meet its standards. - The push for authorization aims to shield the program from administrative uncertainty and make its standards more durable.

What happened: - The American Sustainable Business Network said over 100 businesses, trade associations, investors and public health organizations signed a letter to Congress calling for bipartisan legislation to authorize and fund EPA’s Safer Choice program. - The letter came hours after Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Jon Husted, R-Ohio, introduced the Safer Choice Program Authorization Act. - The coalition is led by the American Sustainable Business Network, Household & Commercial Products Association, American Cleaning Institute, Change Chemistry, ISSA, the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility and Alternative Fuels & Chemicals.

The details: - The letter asks Congress to formally establish the Safer Choice program in statute. - The coalition wants EPA to maintain and periodically update program standards through a transparent, science-based process. - The letter also calls for preserving and strengthening the Safer Chemical Ingredients List. - Signers want multi-year appropriations to give the program stable funding. - Products bearing the Safer Choice label are growing several times faster than unlabeled competitors in the same categories. - The program has never been authorized in statute. - The full letter and signer list are available in the coalition’s document. - Other signers include The Clorox Company, Unilever United States, Church & Dwight, Seventh Generation, Henkel Corporation, Grove Collaborative, Consumer Brands Association, Case Medical, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, City of Durham, North Carolina, West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, Spartan Chemical Company and Interface Incorporated.

Between the lines: - Business groups, investors and institutional purchasers are presenting Safer Choice as both a consumer safety tool and a commercial standard. - The investor argument centers on regulatory risk: a program that exists only through administrative discretion can weaken the value of investments made to meet its benchmark. - Support from manufacturers, hospitals, schools and advocacy groups suggests the label has moved beyond a niche environmental program and into mainstream purchasing decisions. - ECOS said every product it makes is certified by Safer Choice and that authorization would help U.S. manufacturers compete globally. - HCPA said the coalition shows united support for moving safer chemistries into the marketplace. - Alternative Fuels & Chemicals Coalition and Naturepedic framed the program as a trusted, science-based signal for families and consumers.

What’s next: - Congress will need to decide whether to pass the Safer Choice Program Authorization Act and provide funding. - If lawmakers act, EPA would get a clearer statutory basis for maintaining and updating the program. - If Congress does not act, the program remains dependent on administrative discretion.

The bottom line: - The coalition is trying to turn Safer Choice from a well-used EPA label into a permanent federal program with stable funding and legal protection.