EPA’s Safer Choice program formally
recognizes safer products where all ingredients have an
environmental and human health profile showing that they are the
safest in their functional use class. Under the encouragement of
this program, leading companies have made great progress in
developing safer, highly effective chemical products. Since the
program’s inception in 1997, formulators have used the program as a
portal to EPA’s unique chemical expertise, information resources,
and guidance on greener chemistry. Safer Choice program partners
enjoy Agency recognition, including the use of the Safer Choice
program logo on products with the safest possible formulations. In
the future, EPA expects much greater program participation due to
rising demand for safer products. This information collection
enables EPA to accommodate participation by more than nine
formulators each year and to enhance program transparency.
Information collection activities associated with this program will
assist the Agency in meeting the goals of the Pollution Prevention
Act (PPA) by providing resources and recognition for businesses
committed to promoting and using safer chemical products. In turn,
the program will help businesses meet corporate sustainability
goals by providing the means to, and an objective measure of,
environmental stewardship. Investment analysts and advisers seek
these types of measures in evaluating a corporation’s
sustainability profile and investment worthiness. Safer Choice
Product Recognition program partnership is an important impetus for
prioritizing and completing the transition to safer chemical
products. The Safer Choice Product Recognition program is also
needed to promote greater use of safer chemical products by
companies unaware of the benefits of such a change. EPA has
tailored its request for information, and especially the Safer
Choice Product Recognition program application forms, to ensure
that the Agency requests only that information essential to verify
applicants’ eligibility for recognition.
US Code:
42 USC 13103(b)(5) Name of Law: Pollution Prevention Act,
Section 6604(b)(5)
There is an increase of 362
hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with that
identified in the ICR currently approved by OMB. This increase
reflects EPA’s estimate of a greater number of respondents, due to
historical experience and increases in the expected future number
of responses due to greater consumer awareness and demand for
products with the Safer Choice label. This increase is partially
offset by reduced per-response burden estimates based on expected
efficiencies created by using the Salesforce-based Safer Choice
Community on the part of respondents. This change is an
adjustment.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.