Stakeholders Reject Green Seal Cleaning Product Standard

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, a coalition of
concerned stakeholders* released the following statement criticizing Green
Seal's newly published Environmental Standard for Industrial and
Institutional Cleaners (GS-37) as fundamentally flawed. (*see list below)

The process Green Seal implemented to develop GS-37 fell far short of
being "fair, unbiased and credible." As organizations directly involved in
the development of this standard, we are deeply disappointed by Green
Seal's process and cannot recognize GS-37 as a valid, consensus-based
standard.

On August 29, Green Seal published a final standard even though:



1. the most recent draft standard was rejected by stakeholder vote;
2. the substantive deficiencies that led to this opposition remained
unresolved; and
3. stakeholders were never given an opportunity to review the revised final
standard prior to its formal release.
As a result, the current new standard is not a consensus-based
standard, a stated objective by Green Seal at the start of this process.

Throughout the standard development process, our organizations
consistently commented that numerous criteria in GS-37 lack sufficient
scientific basis. These concerns were not adequately addressed, leading to
sustained opposition when stakeholders voted on the November 2007 proposed
standard. While Green Seal took some steps to address these deficiencies,
we believe many areas of sustained opposition remain unresolved.

Green Seal failed to provide its stakeholders an opportunity to review
the revised document, which includes definitions and language that had
never appeared in previous drafts, prior to its publication. Green Seal
cannot credibly claim to have overcome opposition when registered
stakeholders were shut out of this critical final step. The result is a
flawed standard that lacks the factual and scientific basis to guide
purchasing decisions. Such an approach violates Green Seal's own principles
and procedural requirements of respected standard setting organizations
that Green Seal claims to meet.

We urge Green Seal to immediately withdraw GS-37 and reinitiate its
inappropriately abrogated standard development process, engaging
stakeholders to develop a truly science-based, consensus standard.

* New York State Chemical Alliance

Alkylphenol Ethoxylates Research Council

American Chemistry Council

Carpet and Rug Institute

Consumer Specialty Products Association

Reckitt Benckiser, Inc.

SI Group, Inc.

The Fragrance Materials Association

The Soap and Detergent Association

Zep, Inc.



SOURCE The Soap and Detergent Association