Cleanlink News February 18 2010
EcoLogo Launches Hand Sanitizer Standard
EcoLogo has launched its first standard for hand sanitizers (also
known as instant hand antiseptic products). The new EcoLogo product
category standard aims to help purchasers select hand sanitizing
products with reduced environmental and health impact, according to
Scot Case, vice president of TerraChoice, which manages the EcoLogo
Program.
An important aspect of the hand sanitizer certification is the
requirement for bio-based content. EcoLogo certification of these
products follows the minimum bio-based content standards set by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) BioPreferred program, the
EcoLogo release said.
The new standard focuses on the “away-from-home market,” which
encompasses health care and food service facilities, in addition to all
other instances away from a personal residence.
BioPreferred is a USDA-led initiative to increase the purchase and use
of bio-based products. Bio-based products are composed in whole or in
significant part of biological ingredients, such as forestry materials
or renewable agricultural materials (including plant, animal, or marine
ingredients). The USDA identifies more than 4,500 bio-based products in
42 product categories as “BioPreferred designated” products. For more
information, visit www.biopreferred.gov.
For a copy of the EcoLogo hand sanitizer standard and to learn more about how to certify instant hand antiseptic products against this standard, please visit www.ecologo.org.
