GEC released its draft Reduction of Chemicals of Concern criteria for public comment on July 13, 2022. The public comment period — open for 60 days — is an opportunity for all interested stakeholders to provide technical comments on the draft criteria. These criteria are intended to address the life cycle sustainability impacts identified in the State of Sustainability Research for the Reduction of Chemicals of Concern and represent leadership and international best practices to safer, more sustainable products. These criteria are one of 4 sustainability impact modules that will be applied across EPEAT product categories, starting in 2023.

NSF International manages the public comment process on behalf of GEC. Comments must be submitted by 11:59 pm ET on September 12, 2022, using the NSF Online Workspace, available here. Instructions on submitting comments are provided on the NSF Online Workspace. To support openness and transparency, the NSF website displays all public comments and their resolution.

GEC, along with NSF, will host a webinar on July 21, 11 am – 12:00 pm ET to provide an overview of the draft criteria, provide instructions on how to submit comments, and answer stakeholder questions. To sign up for the webinar, go to this Registration Link.

For more information on the criteria development process, see the overview of Criteria Modules by Sustainability Impact. Please contact Rachel Simon (rsimon@gec.org) with questions.