Green Seal has unveiled a full-service Formula Facts Ingredient Communication Program to help cleaning product companies provide clear, accurate and meaningful ingredient labels in time to meet California’s new ingredient disclosure requirements that take effect in January. 
 
The state law on cleaning product ingredient disclosure includes requirements that specify detailed information about product chemicals and that apply beyond active ingredients to include certain byproducts and impurities, among other measures. Whether or not a product is Green Seal-certified, Green Seal is offering a one-stop-shop that makes it significantly easier for companies to create online and on-product ingredient labels.
 
Companies that participate in the Formula Facts program will:
 

• Eliminate the need to learn intricate state reporting requirements or hire consultants
• Leverage Green Seal’s scientific expertise and access to raw materials formula information
• Get a clear, accurate label with a recognized design that consumers trust
• Get a fully designed technology solution and automatic label updates

 
This service is complimentary for Green Seal-certified products. For all other products, Green Seal has designed the process so that manufacturers or private labelers can simply provide their formulas and Green Seal will do the rest.
 
Green Seal created the Formula Facts label in collaboration with the designer of the iconic Nutrition Facts label to translate complex technical and scientific information into a clear, digestible and trusted format.  The agile format is designed to be adaptable should new reporting requirements take effect in other states such as New York. 
 
“Communicating product ingredients builds a company’s credibility and empowers consumers to choose healthier, safer products – but listing ingredients without consistency or context can confuse or mislead customers, defeating the purpose of transparency,” said Green Seal CEO Doug Gatlin. “In a marketplace crowded with misleading marketing claims about the health and safety of household products, purchasers and consumers trust Green Seal to take the guesswork out of making the best choice. While every company is required to report their ingredients, displaying a Formula Facts ingredient label will showcase that a company has the highest level of commitment to accuracy and transparency.”
 
Over the past several months, industry leaders including PortionPac Chemical Company, Rochester Midland Corporation, Buckeye International, Hillyard Industries and Spartan Chemical Company partnered with Green Seal in a beta version of Formula Facts to provide vital input on the design of the program. 
 
“Green Seal helps us communicate our commitment to health, safety and exceptional performance,” said Caryn Stets, chief strategy officer at PortionPac Chemical Company. “The Formula Facts program is another opportunity to showcase our focus on compliance and transparency through third party review.  Like Green Seal certification, the Formula Facts program’s ongoing updating ensures our information is always current and accurate.”
 
When companies participate in Formula Facts, Green Seal will work with their raw material suppliers to obtain formulas and permission to share required information; collaborate with the companies to determine allowable confidentiality claims; provide fully designed online ingredient labels that companies can easily display on their websites; and automatically update labels to reflect changes in designated chemicals lists, raw materials or the product formula. 
 
For details about Formula Facts and to view sample labels, visit www.greenseal.org/formulafacts.