The Annual Meeting & Industry Convention of the American Cleaning Institute has a reputation as being an event where business gets done; whether it’s in committee meetings or in the dozens of private meetings that take place between leading marketers and their suppliers.


“This is the best global forum to conduct business,” noted ACI Chairman Tom O’Brien of Sasol.


It’s also a good place for good deeds, as 34 companies participated in ACI’s charity, Cleaning for a Reason, which brings free home cleaning services to women undergoing cancer treatments. The charity, now in its 10th year, has helped 20,000 women with cancer, according to Cleaning for a Reason Founder Debbie Sardone. The organization gets about 1,400 requests for services each month. With the support of ACI, Cleaning for a Reason is able to fill more requests. For example, Shell Chemical sponsors the charity duck race, dubbed “Quack for a Reason,” during the ACI annual meeting. In its inaugural year, 2011, the race raised $11,000; this year, Quack for a Reason raised $44,000.


Besides playing match maker with detergent producers and their suppliers, or raising money for their favorite charities, which also includes Clean the World, a global organization that that distributed more than one million hygiene kits to those in need around the world, ACI’s annual meeting and convention is the forum to present what the organization has accomplished during the past year.


ACI in Action


For example, the Institute has moved into the final phase of its Cleaning Product Ingredient Safety Initiative and expects it to be completed by the end of the year.


“Our ambitious goal with this initiative is to provide complete safety information for every ingredient used in every formulated consumer cleaning product manufactured by our member companies,” explained Dr. Paul DeLeo, associate VP-environmental safety, ACI. “ACI has spent the past three years successively identifying the inventory of ingredients used in our members’ products, identifying publicly available hazard data for each ingredient, and developing the exposure profile for each ingredient as it is used.”


In 2015, ACI conducted an exposure assessment for each of the nearly 600 ingredients on the Ingredient Inventory that are used in consumer cleaning products. In addition to developing a quantitative estimate of consumer exposure, ACI published on its website, www.cleaninginstitute.org, a description of each ingredient, including:

• The types of products in which it is used;
• The form of those products;
• The ingredient’s function within each of those products;
• The typical concentration range among the products; and
• The most relevant routes of exposure associated with the use of those products.
•  

This year, ACI will complete the Initiative by leveraging the information it collected regarding ingredient hazards and exposures to illustrate the margin of safety that is observed for uses of ingredients in consumer cleaning products. ACI will continue to reach out to academics, regulators and other stakeholders through presentations, publications and meetings. Last year, ACI made seven presentations at scientific meetings, and a series of manuscripts are being drafted for peer-reviewed scientific journals.


During the annual meeting, ACI announced that its Charter for Sustainable Cleaning concluded its second year with 26 members. The voluntary initiative promotes and demonstrates continual improvement in the industry’s sustainability profile.


“ACI’s sustainability mission is to enable our membership to drive improvements in sustainability across our industry and throughout our supply chain,” said ACI President and CEO Ernie Rosenberg. “The ACI Charter for Sustainable Cleaning provides a framework for continual assessment, review, and improvement in sustainability performance at major stages of the product lifecycle.”Companies that sign-up for the Charter formally commit to the ACI’s Principles for Sustainability, must participate in ACI’s Sustainability Metrics Program, and work toward implementing a set of Essential Sustainability Procedures and Activities.


Charter participants must assure that they have systems in place for continual assessment, review, and improvement of sustainability performance at every important stage of the product lifecycle.


“These Essential Sustainability Procedures and Activities focus on best practices in areas such as raw material selection, resource management, product safety and manufacturing, packaging design, occupational health and safety, and sustainability reporting,” Rosenberg said.


Global Testimony


ACI’s connections extend beyond US borders. Representatives from associations around the world, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, India and Japan, were on hand to discuss key issues impacting the cleaning industry in their country or region. All are members of the International Network of Cleaning Product Associations (INCPA).


Susanne Zänker, director general of AISE, the international association for soaps, detergents and maintenance products based in Belgium, detailed the group’s efforts to ensure both safety and availability of raw materials under REACH. The group is also convincing consumers to lower their wash water temperatures via the “I prefer 30°” campaign and product stewardship programs for liquid capsules and air fresheners. Zänker also noted that AISE’s Charter for Sustainable Cleaning program, which is aimed at improving sustainability in the industry, celebrated its 10th anniversary with 103 manufacturers and 122 retailers—representing more than 90% of the market, according to Zanker.


Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association President Shannon Coombs reminded the audience that a new liberal government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could impact regulatory issues in the country. She noted that two Auditor General Office reports revealed weakness in the regulatory process for cleaning products and that NGOs have pounced on the issue. The CCSPA is working with regulators to modernize the Food & Drugs Act for disinfectants and sanitizers. Finally, the Association is preparing for the implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS); although Coombs noted that confidential business information issues must be resolved.


Abipla is the key association for the Brazilian cleaning industry. Maria Eugenia Proenca Saldanha reviewed Brazil’s efforts to improve the sustainability profile of household cleaning products; many of these efforts revolve around water conservation. Abipla is working with 20 other Brazilian associations to improve recycling efforts in the country.


Tsutomu Katagiri of the Japan Soap and Detergent Association detailed the results of its home laundry habits survey. Washing machine capacity has risen from 6.8kg in 2005 to 8.0kg last year and boast new functions such as antibacterial efficacy. Reviewing consumer habits, Katagiri said fabric softener use increased from 59% in 2005 to 77% last year.  The industry is making progress to reduce plastic use, as volume has fallen 40% v. 1995 levels.


Craig Brock of Accord Australasia called 2016, “a make or break year for streamlined and internationally-aligned regulation of chemical-based products in Australia.”  He asked for input from international colleagues on the new National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS), which is designed to protect Australians and the environment by assessing the risks of industrial chemicals and providing information to promote their safe use.


Many of the issues facing other countries and companies in the global fast-moving consumer goods industry are impacting Indian companies too, according to Sanjay Trevedi of the Indian Home & Personal Care Industry Association. Key issues include: classification of chemicals, cosmetic labeling, GHS Implementation, animal testing bans and regulated import of cosmetics. Some of the issues unique to the country are: multilayer plastic bag bans; Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for bathing bars and soaps and detergents; and safeguard duty on the import of lAB from Qatar, Iran and China. Finally, Jianli Zhao of the China Cleaning Industry Association noted soap and detergent production in China rose nearly 11% in 2014 to more than 13 million tons. Liquids accounted for just 32% of total laundry detergent sales, up from about 12% in 2010. Washing machine penetration exceeds 95% in cities,  but it is closer to 60% in rural areas.


“Hand washing is still playing a major role,” Zhao concluded.