by Brianna Crandall — December 4, 2013— UL Environment, a business unit of global product safety testing and certification organization UL (Underwriters Laboratories), launched its revised standard for sustainable sanitary paper products on November 18, coinciding with the annual ISSA/INTERCLEAN cleaning industry trade show in Las Vegas.
The new UL 175 Standard for Sustainability for Sanitary Paper Products consolidates, revises and updates the following five ECOLOGO Certification Criteria Documents (CCDs): CCD-082 Toilet Tissue, CCD-0 83 Facial Tissue, CCD-084 Table Napkins, CCD-085 Kitchen Towels, and CCD-086 Hand Towels.
Highlights to the updates in the standards relating to human health and safety include: enhanced restrictions on the use of active components that are potentially bio-accumulative and hazardous, and additional restrictions on use of chemicals that are classified as potentially carcinogenic, have oral toxicity or are very toxic to aquatic life, may cause genetic damage, or are classified as heavy metals. Additionally, any fragrance used may not include ingredients on the European Union’s allergens list and must be IFRA (International Fragrance Association) certified.
Certification of products under the new version of the standard offers numerous advantages for manufacturers, with a main advantage being an even greater focus on protecting human health, as well as additional broad sustainability requirements relating to the sourcing of fiber, and for further reducing greenhouse gas emissions, says UL Environment.
“We are continuously working on advancing our standards to support reduced environmental and human health impacts,” explained Angela Griffiths, director of research and service delivery at UL Environment. “As the scientific body of knowledge around the effects of sourcing, manufacturing and using sanitary paper products has increased, and as manufacturing and the manufacturing lifecycle have become more sophisticated, we are updating our standards to reflect this new knowledge and ability in our certifications.”
