Patchwork doesn’t work. That’s been apparent during the COVID-19 crisis and it’s been obvious to every trade group that’s tried to convince regulators that the Federal government must establish national laws for a variety of issues for a variety of industries.

During the American Cleaning Institute’s Virtual Summit last month, ACI President and CEO Melissa Hockstad said ACI “needs to be in the driver’s seat” to ensure eventual passage of a federal policy governing cleaning product ingredient communication. During her State of the Industry address, Hockstad promised said ACI “will be more robustly engaged than ever in the halls of Congress to advocate on our number one policy issue.”

The ACI Virtual Summit was held entirely online during the last week of January. Next year’s ACI Annual Meeting & Industry Convention is scheduled for January 31-February 5, 2022 in Orlando.

For ACI, the top issue of the day is federal ingredient communication policy.

“Different states enacting different regulatory regimes disrupts the marketplace, for consumers, customers and manufacturers alike,” said Hockstad. “That’s why a federal ingredient communication policy is paramount. This won’t be an easy lift, but we are in this for the long haul.”

Hockstad added that ACI and the cleaning product supply chain looks forward to working with the Biden Administration and the new Congress as “ACI has a history of working in a bipartisan manner with lawmakers and regulators at all levels of government.”

In a letter to President Joe Biden, ACI outlined several policy priorities to keep critical cleaning supplies in the hands of US consumers during the pandemic. ACI also called on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to continue funding the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) implementation and chemical management processes. In the letter, ACI reminded President Biden that FDA regulations have a great impact on healthcare and consumer topical antiseptic products. ACI noted that it has developed and submitted detailed work plans to FDA in an effort to satisfy the agency’s data requirements for safety and efficacy.

Among the other priorities Hockstad outlined for the year ahead:

• Enhancing and showcasing the state of the science on cleaning product safety and efficacy;
• Driving impactful sustainability action;
• Maximizing business growth; and

Enhancing public confidence and trust in cleaning products through continuous, effective communications and outreach initiatives.

“Ever since the pandemic started, cleaning products and their chemistries proved beyond the shadow of a doubt how essential they are to public health,” said Hockstad. “ACI was front-and-center for media and stakeholder audiences during the past year to provide useful, science-based information on cleaning, hygiene, disinfecting and fabric care products.”

ACI members were front-and-center helping consumers and essential workers stay safe during the pandemic. In a recent report, “Rising to an Unprecedented Challenge,” ACI documented the efforts the cleaning products industry made in response to greater demand for cleaning and hand hygiene products. For example, ACI members donated more than $700 million worth of products to hospitals, nursing homes, food banks, childcare facilities, nonprofits and other organizations around the world. In addition, they donated 10 million units of products and personal protection equipment.

According to ACI, cleaning and sanitizing product manufacturers increased production volume by 23% to meet needs during the pandemic; and additional capacity within the supply chain supported global production of more than 427,000 gallons of hand sanitizers.

In 2021, ACI will build upon the momentum generated during the past year through news media and social media outreach. Hockstad promised that the Institute will provide clarity and direction around benefits of cleaning products; reinforce and solidify the importance of smart, targeted hygiene to maintain healthy environments; and maintain and strengthen public confidence and trust in industry and the products they produce.


Other Issues

At the same time, Hockstad said ACI will continue its multi-year, multi-million-dollar research program to produce safety and efficacy data on topical antiseptic product ingredients, as required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Similarly, ACI will be proactively engaging with the Environmental Protection Agency on critical issues ensuring availability of disinfectants and their chemistries as well as ongoing implementation of the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act.

ACI will also keep working to have an impact in the federal and state arenas on the regulation of the manufacturing by-product known as 1,4-dioxane.

“In New York, ACI is consistently working to ensure that the implementation of a state law—which limits the amount of 1,4-dioxane in cleaning and detergent products to extraordinarily trace levels—will not lead to clearing retail shelves of safe and effective products that are used and trusted by consumers on a daily basis,” Hockstad said.

In January, ACI submitted comments to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) regarding its 1,4-dioxane limit and noted:

• The same level of 1,4-dioxane will be present (contained in a recommended dose) because more product is needed for the same cleaning task;
• Manufacturers could return to non-concentrated products, which includes the elimination of some product categories, such as liquid laundry packets and refill concentrate products; Such a shift could lead to increased plastic consumption, water consumption and CO2 emissions during manufacturing, packaging and distribution; and
• Suppliers may be forced to install expensive systems and develop new technology—costs that will ultimately be passed onto consumers.

According to ACI, a concentrated/compacted product contains 10ppm of 1,4-dioxane at 20% surfactant levels. This formula results in 25ml of product for a cleaning task which results in 50mg of 1,4-dioxane. Yet, a standard product that contains 1,4-dioxane at 10% surfactant levels, requires 100ml of product for the same cleaning task, which results in 50mg of 1,4-dioxane.

In another move, ACI published Corporate Compass, a set of sustainability recommendations along with guidance and tools to help its members improve operations and supply chains, which were stretched to the limit during the early days of the pandemic. The Compass focuses on four goals of ACI’s Uniting for a Cleaner World strategy:

• Increase transparency to uphold good health and well-being for all people;
• Reduce emissions to confront global average temperature rise;
• Value nature to move toward a more circular global economy; and
• Contribute positively to invest in our shared future globally.

The Corporate Compass is available on ACI’s website, www.cleaninginstitute.org, within the members-only portal. ACI said it will add more resources to meet the sustainability needs of its members.

On the subject of sustainability, ACI hailed the decision by President Biden to re-enter the US into the Paris Climate Agreement, a global pact signed by nearly 200 countries that is designed to avert the worst impacts of climate change. ACI has challenged cleaning product manufacturers and chemical producers to take action by aligning their climate strategies and goals with the need to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C or less by reaching net-zero global emissions by 2050. Later this year, ACI will provide an update and a strategy for achieving its goal to confront global average temperature rise by accounting for and reducing greenhouse gas emissions across its value chain.

For more on the ACI Virtual Summit, click here.