Gretchen Schaefer
202.833.7311
Cleaning Product Companies Question New Report, Yet Welcome Dialogue
WASHINGTON, DC (September 23, 2008) – The Consumer Specialty Products Association and its member companies that were “graded” in a new report by Women’s Voices for the Earth question much of the content in the report while at the same time welcome dialogue with WVE on industry’s advances on product ingredients and product labeling.
“We believe our companies do provide the public with the information they need to make informed buying decisions,” said CSPA President Chris Cathcart. “However, there is an increasing movement worldwide on ingredient disclosure initiatives like that advocated by WVE. We have been heavily engaged in the issue on various fronts and are committed to finding effective ways to provide meaningful product ingredient information to consumers.”
Cleaning products sold in the United States are regulated under the current system of risk evaluation and risk-based labeling under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act regulations for consumer products. Through the FHSA regulations, the point of purchase label informs consumers about the product effectiveness expectations, the potential risk, product ingredients contributing to the risk, appropriate handling and storage, and applicable first aid information.
While not required by law to list all ingredients, CSPA member companies mentioned in the report often do provide that information when contacted. CSPA member companies mentioned in the WVE report have 800 numbers on their product labels.
“The first line of safety in the development of cleaning products lies within the evaluations that are conducted by individual companies prior to marketing their products,” Cathcart said. “Companies conduct extensive evaluations of the ingredients and the mix of ingredients in the products to determine the safety and environmental profile of the products prior to marketing. As a practical matter, it is in the company’s best interest to undergo these types of evaluations in order to protect consumers and their reputations.”
“We recognize that consumers’ interest in the ingredients included in products has grown recently. We will continue working with our member companies and sister trade organizations on the complex task of creating an ingredient disclosure policy that addresses these issues and is meaningful to consumers,” Cathcart concluded.
About CSPA
The Consumer Specialty Products Association is a non-profit national trade association representing approximately 250 companies engaged in the manufacture, formulation, distribution and sale of hundreds of familiar consumer products. It is organized into seven divisions: Aerosol Products, Air Care, Antimicrobial Products, Cleaning Products, Pest Management Products, Industrial and Automotive Specialty Chemicals, and Polishes and Floor Maintenance. For more information, please visit www.cspa.org.
