The standard, developed by NSF International (NSF) and the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute (ACS GCI), provides a standardized way to define and report the environmental and human health hazards associated with a chemical product and its manufacturing process impacts.
The new standard, officially known as NSF/GCI/ANSI 355 Greener Chemicals and Processes Information Standard, outlines a framework that chemical manufacturers will use to develop one comprehensive, standardized NSF/GCI/ANSI 355 report to provide information to their customers throughout the supply chain. The report will be used to evaluate chemical products and their associated manufacturing processes in several key categories, including:
· Chemical Characteristics – Physical chemical properties, human health effects and ecological effects
· Chemical Processes (gate to gate) – Chemical efficiency and waste prevention, water, energy, bio-based carbon content, innovative manufacturing processes and technology and process safety
· Social Responsibility – Child labor, forced and compulsory labor and compliance with laws and regulations.
NSF International and ACS GCI gathered a broad and diverse group of stakeholders to help develop the standard. The group consisted of public health and regulatory officials, industry representatives, user and consumer representatives and other interest groups who worked together to develop a uniform method by which to assess and report attributes for the chemical's characteristics and manufacturing processes.
"NSF/GCI/ANSI 355: Greener Chemicals and Processes Information Standard provides suppliers with a framework to provide information about products to downstream manufacturers, processors and formulators," said Ann M. Mason, American Chemistry Council's senior director. "The standard contains defined metrics that are relevant and measurable."