CLEANING & HYGIENE REGULATION MATTERS
When buying cleaning chemicals, regulations guarantee safety, underpin transparency and ensure consistency, explains Lorcan Mekitarian, Chair of the Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association.
Responding to the challenges of climate change is not easy. It is difficult to produce cleaning chemicals that do the job, have a minimal impact on the environment and are sustainable. It takes years of investment and testing to get the products right and clear the regulatory hurdles. It’s not surprising, therefore, that some organisations are looking for short cuts and putting forward all sorts of persuasive arguments to support their position.
Some argue technology is moving so fast there is no time for independent verification or regulation. They are saying that the need for environmentally sustainable solutions outstrips the need to know if the solution is indeed environmentally sustainable, if it works or how to use it to be certain it is safe. These companies use gobbledygook or undefined phrases like ‘non-renewable chemicals’, ‘chemical-free’, ‘natural’ and ‘non-toxic’ to promote their products.
Regulations, however, matter. They guarantee safety. They underpin transparency and ensure consistency. They provide a framework for comparison, so a buyer really knows if they are getting the product or solution they need. Regulations provide accountability, giving buyers a route to recourse if needed. In short, they underwrite an ethical approach.
If you are buying cleaning chemicals our advice is always to look for independent verification and to make sure the supplier has the relevant regulatory approval. For example, the term ‘biodegradable’ as it is applied to cleaning products, is defined in current legislation (Detergent Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 and corresponding UK post-Brexit legislation). Something claiming to be ‘organic’ should be certified by, for example, the Soil Association. ‘Net-zero’ claims should be based on the international net-zero standard or another reliable third-party verified certification.
Every member of the CHSA has signed our rigorous Code of Practice, which demands our members trade ethically. Amongst other stipulations, it requires members to:
• Conduct business dealings in an open, honest, fair and proper manner and in accordance with the laws, rules and regulations of the UK and EU.
• Ensure all public statements made by and on behalf of the Member are decent, honest and truthful.
• Ensure no false or exaggerated claims are made verbally, in literature, electronically or in any other way.
• Hold and provide evidence on request for product and service claims, particularly with reference to legislation, certifications and accreditations.
Our Code of Practice also includes the Competition & Market’s Authority’s Green Claims Code. Its principles are summarised as:
• Claims must be truthful and accurate. • Claims must be clear and unambiguous. • Claims must not omit or hide important relevant information.
• Comparisons must be fair and meaningful. • Claims must consider the full life cycle of the product or service.
• Claims must be substantiated.
Finally, every member of the CHSA’s Accreditation Scheme for manufacturers of cleaning chemicals has signed the CHSA’s own ethical marketing code.
Our advice to buyers of cleaning and hygiene chemicals is simple.
• Be sceptical. If a claim sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
https://sciencebasedtargets.org/net-zero
• Ask for supporting evidence. Reputable companies will be willing and able to provide data sheets, reports, certificates or other evidence to support the claims.
• Buy from a reputable supplier with a track record. • Specify CHSA Accreditation. Our standards, your guarantee.
www.CHSA.co.uk
Regulations matter when buying cleaning & hygiene chemicals
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