2015 Safer Choice Partner of the Year Award Winners: Supporters

Profiles for each of the 2015 Safer Choice Partner of the Year Award Winners in the Supporters category have been compiled in order to provide you with a better understanding of why each organization was recognized as an award winner. The winners in the Supporters category are listed below.

• The Ashkin Group, Los Angeles, CA
• Consumer Specialty Products Association, Washington, DC
• GreenBlue, Charlottesville, VA
• ISSA, The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association, Northbrook, IL
• Loyola University of Chicago, Institute of Environmental Sustainability, Chicago, IL
• WA State Department of Ecology/Northwest Green Chemistry, Olympia, WA

See the listing of all 2015 Safer Choice Partner of the Year Award Winners.

The Ashkin Group, Los Angeles, CA 

The Ashkin Group is being recognized as an outstanding Safer Choice Supporter. The Ashkin Group is a consulting firm working to green the cleaning industry. The organization has offered input that has helped to enhance the Safer Choice program and encourage ingredient disclosure on product labeling. Safer Choice commends The Ashkin Group for its strong communication efforts to advance safer cleaning and worker health, its long-time support of the Safer Choice program, and its promotion of the program in LEED and the Green Sports Alliance.

Consumer Specialty Products Association, Washington, DC 

The Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA) is being recognized as an outstanding Safer Choice Supporter. CSPA is a trade association representing companies engaged in the manufacture, formulation, distribution and sale of consumer products for households and institutions. Safer Choice commends the CSPA for partnering with the program and key stakeholders on efforts to advance safer products among its member companies. Of note, Safer Choice applauds CSPA’s collaborative spirit and success on leadership issues, such as spearheading Safer Choice’s implementation of ingredient disclosure, working across the public interest spectrum to identify common values and advance the common good.

GreenBlue, Charlottesville, VA 

The GreenBlue Institute is being recognized as an outstanding Safer Choice Supporter. The organization is an environmental nonprofit dedicated to the sustainable use of materials in society. GreenBlue maintains the CleanGredients® database, the first marketplace for safer chemical ingredients. Safer Choice recognizes GreenBlue for bringing together a variety of stakeholders to encourage innovation in safer chemistries and products and best practices for a more sustainable materials economy. Of note, Safer Choice commends GreenBlue’s recent efforts to expand and promote the use of Safer Choice’s Safer Chemical Ingredients List.

ISSA, The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association, Northbrook, IL 

ISSA is being recognized as an outstanding Safer Choice Supporter. ISSA is a non-profit, voluntary trade association that represents every major segment of the institutional and commercial cleaning industry. ISSA’s membership exceeds 7,000 companies worldwide including manufacturers and distributors of cleaning products, wholesalers, manufacturer representatives, contract cleaners, and in-house cleaning service providers. Safer Choice commends ISSA for featuring Safer Choice at conferences, sponsoring the CleanGredients® database, conducting strong and diverse outreach efforts, and, very notably, working to introduce Safer Choice in nine state green procurement plans.

Loyola University of Chicago, Institute of Environmental Sustainability, Chicago, IL 

Loyola University of Chicago is being recognized as an outstanding Safer Choice Supporter (as well as a noteworthy Innovator). The Searle Biodiesel Program, housed within Loyola University of Chicago’s Institute of Environmental Sustainability (IES), is a student-run green business. They focus on using waste products, primarily waste vegetable oil from campus cafeterias, to create renewable fuels for campus vehicles and hand soap for campus bathrooms. Safer Choice is recognizing Loyola University for creating a new Safer Choice product called BioSoap and for its broad educational initiatives, including offering safer product coursework and highlighting its Safer Choice partnership on campus tours. Also, IES has shown a commitment to zero waste and sustainability.

WA State Department of Ecology/Northwest Green Chemistry, Olympia, WA 

The Washington State Department of Ecology is being recognized as an outstanding Safer Choice Supporter. The WA Department of Ecology is an active supporter of Safer Choice as part of its state pollution prevention program and works directly with manufacturers and purchasers to increase awareness of the program. Safer Choice recognizes the Department of Ecology for working to advance safer chemistry and products through legislative and other activities, participating in several Safer Choice-related initiatives, and promoting use of Safer Choice products through outreach, media campaigns, and the Safer Chemistry challenge.