Coming off PRIA Reauthorization in Washington DC and a big win in New York State in 2019, the Household and Commercial Products Association (HCPA) expects more challenges in 2020, but President and CEO Steve Caldeira said the Association is well-positioned for more battles at the local, state and federal levels.

“HCPA is a positive force for change in our industry. By encouraging innovation and sustainability for products and successfully advocating for priority issues on Capitol Hill and in the states, HCPA is helping to shape the future of the industry,” Caldeira told attendees at the HCPA Annual Meeting, which was held last month in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Attendance at the annual meeting increased more than 10%, to 450 people, as more member companies realize the value that the meeting and Association delivers for their employees, according to Caldeira.

“HCPA is, first and foremost, dedicated to advocating for our members on Capitol Hill and at the state and local levels,” Caldeira said. “But the content of our annual meeting is attracting more folks, too.”

During the week, HCPA offered a wide range of division meetings, as well as sessions with key stakeholders including the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and leading retailers. In addition, during last month’s meeting, HCPA produced a Preservative Summit. Caldeira said the goal of the summit is to bring together some of the brightest minds in the industry to collaborate on critical issues. The summit attracted 150 attendees and followed an Air Care Summit, which was held in 2017. HCPA said it would consider more summits if demand warrants.

“We are a member-driven association,” explained Caldeira. “Volunteerism is strong and members appreciate our meeting’s stronger, broader content. We have enhanced our B-to-B opportunities, too, but our members understand that HCPA exists for advocating for industry and that will remain our core activity.”


Year in Review

The Association was active throughout 2019, starting with full reauthorization of the Pesticide, Rodenticide and Insecticide Act (PRIA), which was passed unanimously in both chambers of Congress and signed into law by President Donald J. Trump in early March. Caldeira noted that PRIA reauthorization would not have been possible without the PRIA Coalition, member companies and HCPA Government Relations & Public Policy team.

“In this extremely polarized political environment, I will tell you that it is incredibly rare to see bipartisan legislation pass in Congress, let alone unanimously, so this is an impressive legislative accomplishment that we can all take pride in,” he recalled. “This member-driven achievement will now ensure the quick review of pesticide products through fiscal year 2023.”

It may be a new year, but old issues continue to impact HCPA and its members. The Association was one of the first to condemn the debilitating tariffs on imported steel and aluminum with China, which impacts a range of Association interests, chief of which is production of steel and aluminum cans.

“We will continue to work with our allied international trade associations to maximize and leverage the power of the business community by working with multiple coalitions being led by the US Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation, the National Foreign Trade Council and Americans for Free Trade, to combat these tariffs and trade wars,” Caldeira told Association members during his annual address.

In order to keep innovating, companies rely more on sustainable solutions. To ensure a bright future, HCPA is a lead advocate for the Sustainable Chemistry R&D Act, which passed unanimously out of committee in both the US House and Senate last year. If enacted, the Act would direct the Office of Science and Technology Policy to organize an interagency entity that would be responsible for coordinating federal programs and activities in support of sustainable chemistry. Sustainable chemistry is focused on conserving resources and minimizing the use of hazardous substances in chemical processes—a change consumer and commercial customers have been increasingly seeking from manufacturers.
“Our efforts must be collaborative and not disjointed; we are better together,” explained Caldeira.

Now, the HCPA is working to find a solution to ingredient labeling, and is pursuing a national solution so that policymakers at all levels of government, as well as the media and consumers, understand that industry values the trust that consumers and workers place in its products and brands, according to Caldeira.

“We want to find a solution that is based on the California law,” he explained. HCPA’s non-profit foundation, the Alliance for Consumer Education, is launching a labeling literacy campaign to help consumers understand the new information that they will begin to see next month online and on labels, as a result of the California law.

Results in California differed dramatically from what took place on the East Coast, when the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) tried to enact its own label rules, a move that was invalidated by the State Supreme Court.

“NYDEC will go back to the drawing board, and we will do everything that we can to have a dialogue with them; that’s who we are and what we do. But we are committed to policy that protects confidential business information,” Caldeira explained.

HCPA is committed to finding common ground with retailers, too. As a member of the UL Advisory Group, HCPA acts as a bridge between retailers and manufacturers on chemical safety policies and on a wider range of public policy issues. Other members in the group include Lowe’s, Target, Walmart, CVS, Procter & Gamble, 3M, Pfizer, RB, Turtle Wax, Kao, SC Johnson and BASF. HCPA helps identify common areas of interest, while also anticipating potential problems.

“Our industry needs to create a dialogue with retailers and this group gives us the platform to do that,” explained Caldeira. In addition to its advocacy efforts, HCPA’s non-profit foundation, the Alliance for Consumer Education, is launching a labeling literacy campaign to help consumers understand the new information that they will begin to see online and on labels, as a result of the California law.

But not every legislative and regulatory battle results in victory. During his annual address, Caldeira got word that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill that prohibits the sale of household cleaning products containing 1,4-dioxane and limits the sale of cosmetic and personal care products with certain levels of 1,4-dioxane.

“As emerging contaminants like 1,4-dioxane continue to show up in water systems around the country, in New York we are taking aggressive action to keep our drinking water clean and safe,” said Cuomo. “In the absence of federal standards to limit the spread of this harmful contaminant, this new law builds on our efforts to protect and preserve our drinking water resources from these unregulated chemicals that threaten the health of New Yorkers and the environment.”

HCPA and the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) were quick to condemn the move, noting that Long Island’s water quality issues are due to long-gone industry in the region. Now, the associations are concerned that the New York ban will spread to other states. In an open letter to Cuomo, Caldeira noted:

“Cleaning products are used everywhere…so why isn’t this a problem everywhere? We truly recognize the severity of this issue and empathize with Long Island residents. But, the 1,4-dioxane residue from your laundry detergent isn’t the cause of the situation on Long Island or the cause anywhere else. Most importantly, this bill will have no measurable benefit to groundwater and be of no help to Long Island’s residents as the levels of 1,4-dioxane in products are already so low. Efforts should instead focus on addressing Long Island’s specific water quality issues—the contamination caused by former industrial and military facilities, which is coincidentally the area’s largest groundwater pollution source.”

While it monitors issues of concern at the state and federal level, HCPA is expanding its presence on the international stage, too. Caldeira presented the Association’s case regarding ingredient labeling in Brussels last year and will be in Paris this month to discuss the same issue. Meanwhile, Nicholas Georges, HCPA’s director, scientific and international affairs, has been in Portugal, Germany, the UK and Japan to represent the aerosol industry at several international forums.

“This is a global economy and we need to be engaged globally in order to benefit our members,” he noted.

Don’t Forget to Breathe!

With so many issues in so many parts of the world, business executives must successfully navigate the landscape, noted HCPA keynote speaker Nancy Giordano, a strategic futurist.

“This is a dynamic time. Retail will change more in the next five years than it did in the past 50 years,” she said. “One hundred percent of jobs will be ‘re-skilled.’ The future is under construction. Breathe! Don’t forget to breathe! The open mind is the new way of thinking.”

Successful businesses will hire team members that are both bold and empathetic, Giordano insisted. And at a time when the world is demanding more for less, it is not going to get easier, she observed quoting Mark Twain, “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”

With that in mind, she urged the audience to walk through this new world in four steps: Wonder. Navigate. Contribute. (Be) Audacious.

“The iPhone didn’t exist in 2007. We didn’t have apps!” she explained. Winners in this new economy include Tupperware, an old economy FMCG company that has added sensors to its ubiquitous containers to monitor food spoilage. Other examples include toothbrushes that can make dental appointments, vertical farming in abandoned tunnels in South Korea, and tiny homes that can be built in 12 hours for $4,000. These innovators are addressing critical issues in food production, health and housing.

Who are the losers in the new economy? One of them is the cattle industry. According to one estimate, as humans move toward plant-based diets, experts estimate that there could be a 50% decline in cattle.

“That’s an exponential change!” said Giordano. “Nokia lost to Apple because of paralysis.”

To combat paralysis, she urged HCPA members to continue cultivating uncommon partnerships with NGOs, regulators and others. She noted, for example, that insurance company competitors USAA and State Farm are collaborating on block-chain technology.

At the same time, she urged attendees to champion diversity. Noting that Finland is run by women and its prime minister is only 34.

“Artificial intelligence doesn’t have bias,” explained Giordano. “Homogeneity leads to bias.”

Finally, she conveyed the importance of staying curious and open to change. IQ, she charged, is less important than EQ (emotional quotient), which is less important that AQ (adaptability quotient).
For those who may remain skeptical in this brave new world, Giordano concluded her presentation with a quote from Apple Founder Steve Jobs:

“Everything in life was made by people who were no smarter than you.” 

Award Winners & new officers • During the annual meeting, HCPA honored several members for their service to the association and the industry. Chief among them was Diane Boesenberg, director of hygiene home, RB, who received the Charles E. Allderdice Jr. Memorial Award, HCPA’s highest honor, which recognizes a career of contributions to the Association and the industry. During her career, Boesenberg has served on a variety of committees within the Antimicrobial Division. Also during the annual meeting, HCPA recognized representatives from each of its seven divisions with the Volunteer Recognition Award. They are: • Aerosol Products: John Kawalchuk, Precision Valve, North America; • Air Care Products: Rick Kingston, Safetycall International; • Antimicrobial Products: Elaine Black, Ecolab; • Cleaning Products: Mauricio Amaya, Genesis Biosciences; • Floor Care Products: Carmine Savaglio, SCJohnson; • Industrial & Automotive Products: Gregory Johnson, Sherwin-Williams Diversified Brands; and • Pest Management Products: Kelly Hoskins, PetIQ. At the conclusion of the Annual Meeting, Pamela Lam, HCPA’s 2019 chair, turned duties over to Jerry Porter, Procter & Gamble, who serves as 2020 chair. Other 2020 board officers include: First Vice Chair, Bill Schalitz, Spartan Chemical; Second Vice Chair, Greg Adamson, Givaudan Fragrance; and Treasurer, Lisa Pankiewicz, Clorox.