EcoLogo invites members of the public to help transform the sanitary paper products industry by participating in the revision of its Sanitary Paper environmental standard.
 
"Sanitary papers are widely used for personal hygiene and in the delivery of many sanitation services," says Angela Griffiths, Executive Director of the EcoLogo Program. "Because of the prevalent use of this group of products, it is important to identify and advance the ways in which their environmental impacts may be minimized. The revised EcoLogo standard will define clear criteria that sanitary papers must meet before they can claim environmental leadership."
 
Sanitary paper products, such as toilet tissue, facial tissue, table napkins, kitchen towels, and hand towels, play a key role in supporting sanitation in homes, schools, hospitals, and the food services industry. They are used for personal hygiene, used in the food services industry for the cleaning and shielding of surfaces, and are widely employed to absorb liquids. EcoLogo is pleased to announce the review and updating of its environmental standards for sanitary paper products under a new, consolidated product category: Sanitary Paper.
 
Preliminary research is being conducted to update EcoLogo's understanding of the environmental impacts across the lifecycles of these products. As in all EcoLogo standards, this revision will account for the resource extraction, manufacturing, use, and disposal stages of sanitary paper products to ensure the standard represents environmental leadership.
 
The EcoLogo Program is reaching out to interested individuals and companies who want to participate in a process that will help to reduce the environmental and human health impacts of sanitary paper products.
 
EcoLogo standards are developed and reviewed in an open, public, transparent process. The approximately 6-month review process will begin with interested stakeholders contacting the Program to express their interest in participating in the review, followed later by the public release of the first draft of the standard, which will outline key environmental parameters to be addressed by the standard. Anyone is able to participate in the standard review process, including but not limited to product manufacturers, consumers, retailers, government agencies, academia, and non-profit advocacy groups. After the standard is finalized, any manufacturer that demonstrates compliance with the standard is eligible for EcoLogo certification.
 
The EcoLogo Program asks those who are interested in participating in the revision of the Sanitary Paper standard to please send an email to Jessica Alier at: Jessica.Alier@ul.com. In future, all feedback about the draft should be sent to Jessica. For any questions that pertain directly to the EcoLogo standard development and review process, please contact Susan Rutherford at: srutherford@ecologo.org, or call: (613) 247-1900 ext. 229.
 
In early November, the EcoLogo Program will release the first draft of this new consolidated standard for comment. The EcoLogo Program will notify and circulate the draft standard to all persons who have enrolled as stakeholders; and the draft standard, together with further information about the standard review process, will be posted on our website, at www.ecologo.org. The Program's release of the draft will launch a 60-day consultation period in respect of the draft during which comments may be submitted to the Program.
 
Later this fall, the EcoLogo Program will also be forming a Stakeholder Advisory Committee to support the standard review process. The work of the Stakeholder Advisory Committee will entail a more in-depth discussion of the issues that are identified during the stakeholder consultation period. To express interest in serving on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee for the review of the Sanitary Paper standard, please contact Jessica Alier at: Jessica.Alier@ul.com.