|  | Public Health Safety | Environmental Health

Purchasing Biodegradable Products for Cleaning

The popularization of a more earth-friendly lifestyle is evidenced by a trip down the cleaning aisle in a grocery store. Products for household cleaning, from trash bags to paper towels, cleaners to dish sponges, line the shelves. Many of those products claim to be "eco-friendly," "all natural," "biodegradable," "organic," or "environmentally friendly." Unfortunately, these labels mean little. The government does not regulate labeling for cleaning products beyond hazardous chemical warnings. As such, consumers must educate themselves about what biodegradable means, what environmental labelings mean, and what to look for in eco-friendly or biodegradable cleaning products.

  1. Biodegradable Defined

    • The Environmental Protection Agency defines biodegradation as "a process by which microbial organisms transform or alter (through metabolic or enzymatic action) the structure of chemicals introduced into the environment." According to the Federal Trade Commission, biodegradable products "decompose into elements found in nature within a reasonably short period of time after customary disposal." In other words, biodegradable cleaning products should, upon disposal, break down into naturally occurring substances without harming the environment.

    FTC Rules on Environmental Marketing

    • The FTC recommends that manufacturers using the "biodegradable" label on products demonstrate clear scientific research evidence to substantiate such claims. Under FTC rules regarding misleading or deceptive marketing practices, manufacturers who cannot substantiate claims are subject to legal challenges and subsequent fines. The FTC has previous challenged claims by First Brands and Mobil Oil, makers of Glad and Hefty trash bags, RMED International and American Enviro Products, makers of Tendercare and Bunnies disposable diapers, all for claims regarding degradability or compostability.

    Seals and Certifications

    • Several labels, seals and awards have emerged in recent years in an attempt to categorize, clarify or certify various products as biodegradable or eco-friendly. Green Seal and DfE are the two most prevalent. Design for the Environment, or DfE, is a program operated by the EPA. Green Seal is operated by a nonprofit organization of the same name. Both demarcations base certification for cleaning products on overall environmental impact. Neither designation guarantees biodegradability, but rather that the product has proven a milder impact on the environment than others in its class.

    Old Fashion Biodegradable Options

    • As the modern world searches for the best biodegradable or environmentally-friendly cleaning products, some of the best options are old-fashioned recipes using common natural ingredients like baking soda, lemon oil or lemon juice, vinegar and water. When combined with natural-fiber cleaning cloths over paper towels, repurposed spray bottles and reusable buckets, these cleaning options are the epitome of biodegradable. For example, an old-fashioned starch bath made of warm water and cornstarch results in the same starched curtains, without the need for chemical spray starch, metal canisters or plastic spray bottles.

Environmental Health - Related Articles