The Design for the Environment Safer Product Labeling Program advances EPA's mission to protect human health and the environment. The program uses EPA's chemical expertise and resources to carefully evaluate products and to label only those that have met the program's highly protective standards. By allowing use of the logo on products, EPA empowers consumers and commercial purchasers to select safer, effective chemical products that do not sacrifice quality or performance—and are safer for people and the planet. Design for the Environment labels a variety of chemical-based products, like all-purpose cleaners, laundry detergents, and carpet and floor care products.
Learn more: Design for the Environment (DFE) website
Standard is available online: Design for the Environment (DFE) Standard, and is reviewed as needed.
Number of standards 5 Adapted for regional / national / local conditions No Standards in development 2 Standards in revision 0 Performance requirements YesEcolabel addresses these stages:
Supply-chain phases Mining / Extraction → Processing / Manufacturing → Commodity Production → Transportation / Logistics → Trade / Retail → End / Consumer Use → Product Recovery / RecyclingEcolabel addresses these issues:
Social attributes
Work Safety, Worker Health Conditions
Environmental attributes
Chemicals, Pesticides / Herbicides / Fungicides, Toxics, Water Quality
Tracks environmental/social impacts
No
Mutual recognition:
Recognizes other ecolabels as equivalent
No
Recognized as equivalent by other ecolabels
No
Standard(s) developed / managed by
EPA staff scientists are ultimately responsible for revising Design for the Environment's standards. We do have stakeholders give input in the form of Technical Committees for component class criteria and a Continuous Technical Improvement Committee for the overall standard.
Standard-setting norm(s) followed
Unknown
Standard-setting process
Not open and consensus-based
External stakeholders involved in standard-setting
Companies, Consumer Associations, Governmental Agencies / Representatives, National NGOs, Research & Academic, Suppliers
Conformity with Design for the Environment (DFE)'s standard is verified by our own organization (second party).
Verifiers accredited
Not applicable
Frequency of ongoing audits
Scheduled
Certification / registration required
Applicants are certified against the ecolabels’s criteria before using the label
Public audit / assessment reports
Yes
Chain-of-custody data
No
Corrective action reports issued
Yes
Field site visit(s)
Yes
Duration of certification
Other/comment
Specific metrics and data
Yes
Time to achieve certification / registration
2-3 months
Time series data
Yearly
Dispute resolution process
Unknown
Ongoing audits / surveillance following certification
Required; done by an independent organization (third party)
Public audit / assessment reports: Partnership agreements are publicly available.
Duration of certification: 3 years
Name
EPA Design for the Environment Program
Type Government
Address 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NWYear est. 1992 Member of Unknown Funding sources Unknown
Phone Unknown Email oppt.homepage@epa.gov
Target audience(s)
This ecolabel certifies
Product categories this ecolabel applies to
Other categories: Inks, paints, holding tank treatments, conversion coatings, icemelt products, tire balancing products
Where this ecolabel is found
Has issued its ecolabel in
Unknown
RT @SCScertified: USDA announces new procedures to boost enforcement of #organic standards http://ow.ly/2ycuH
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Last updated: 7 June 2010
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