California Passes Cleaning Product Right to Know Act of 2017
Written By: Atanu Das on Monday, October 23, 2017
On October 15, The California Legislature signed SB-258 into law. Known as the Cleaning Product Right to Know Act of 2017, it's stated purpose is to "provide consumers and workers with ingredient information about designated products that encourages informed purchasing decisions and reduces public health impacts from exposure to potentially harmful chemicals in designated products by requiring product manufacturers to provide a specific list of the chemicals used in their products, and requiring specified employers to provide that information to their employees."
As defined in the regulations, a designated product is "a finished product that is an air care product, automotive product, general cleaning product, or a polish or floor maintenance product used primarily for janitorial, domestic, or institutional cleaning purposes."
Food, drugs, cosmetics and other products used in oil and steel production are among some of the excluded items not covered by this requirement.
Manufacturers are required to disclose the following on the product label:
A list of each intentionally added ingredient contained in the product that is included on a designated list.
A list of all intentionally added ingredients contained in the designated product, unless it is confidential business information.
The designated list is comprised of 22 lists including:
- California Safety Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act Chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity.
- EU Category 1A or 1B chemicals classified as carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxicants
- Persistent bioaccumulative and toxic priority chemicals that are identified by the federal Environmental Protection Agency National Waste Minimization Program.
These requirements are effective by January 1, 2021 and by January 1, 2020 for electronically readable format information on a company website.
For more information on the law, read the full text here