WASHINGTON — The Green Seal™ environmental certification organization has published GS-51, a new standard designed to address the life cycle impacts of laundry care products for institutional and industrial settings.
Traditional laundry products are “significant contributors to water pollution, and manufacturers and users risk exposure to harmful chemicals through inhalation and skin contact when using many of these products,” Green Seal says.
GS-51 seeks to minimize or eliminate the use of many “hazardous ingredients” found in these products, plus provides an important benchmark regarding product concentration.
“Research has shown that the environmental impact of these products can be reduced by concentrating the product, thereby minimizing its volume,” says Dr. Arthur Weissman, president/CEO of Green Seal.
Concentrated products use less packaging material and contain less water, he adds. This equates to fewer pallets and trucks needed for transport and less space needed for storage.
