by Rebecca Walker — February 22, 2010—EcoLogo, considered North America’s most established multi-attribute environmental leadership standard and certification mark, has launched its first standard for hand sanitizers, also known as instant hand antiseptic products.
When soap and water is unavailable or when additional precaution is necessary, instant hand antiseptic products help reduce the number of microorganisms on skin. The EcoLogo certification will help identify which of these types of products are greener than the rest.
An important aspect of the Hand Sanitizer certification is the requirement of biobased content. EcoLogo certification of these products follows the minimum biobased content standards set by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s (USDA) BioPreferred program.
Based on a review of currently available lifecycle information, the product category requirements will produce an environmental benefit through a substitution for less harmful raw materials, a reduction of environmental hazards, and an increase of product packaging recyclability.
This standard for EcoLogo certified instant hand antiseptic products is focused on the “away from home market,” which encompasses healthcare and food service facilities, in addition to all other instances away from a personal residence.
For a copy of the EcoLogo Hand Sanitizer standard and to learn more about how to certify instant hand antiseptic products against this standard, see the EcoLogo Web site.
