[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 218 (Tuesday, November 14, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78017-78019]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24988]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2023-0520; FRL-11518-01-OCSPP]


Modifications to the Safer Choice Standard and Potential 
Implementation of a Safer Choice Cleaning Service Certification 
Program; Notice of Availability, Webinar and Request for Comment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the 
availability of and seeking public comment on a document that announces 
several proposed changes to EPA's Safer Choice Standard (``the 
Standard''), including a name change to the Safer Choice and Design for 
the Environment (DfE) Standard, an update to the packaging criteria, 
the addition of a Safer Choice certification for cleaning service 
providers, a provision allowing for preterm partnership termination

[[Page 78018]]

under exceptional circumstances, and the addition of several product 
and functional use class requirements. Safer Choice helps consumers, 
businesses, and purchasers find products that perform and contain 
ingredients that are safer for human health and the environment. DfE is 
a similar program currently used by EPA for the purpose of helping 
consumers and commercial buyers identify antimicrobial products that 
meet the health and safety standards of the normal pesticide 
registration process required by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and 
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) as well as other EPA DfE criteria. The Agency 
will hold a webinar and is requesting written stakeholder comment on 
the proposed changes to the Standard.

DATES: 
    Webinar: December 19, 2023, 2-3 p.m. EST. To receive the webcast 
meeting link and audio teleconference information before the meeting, 
you must register by 5 p.m. EST on December 18, 2023.
    Special Accommodations: To allow EPA time to process your request 
for special accommodations, please submit the request by December 12, 
2023.
    Written Comments: Comments must be received on or before January 
16, 2024.

ADDRESSES: 
    Webinar: Register online at https://abtassociates.webex.com/weblink/register/r9dc802a48d8b04aca3fbf9da33f6e603.
    Special Accommodations: Please contact the person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Written Comments: Submit your comments, identified by docket 
identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2023-0520, through https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to 
be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Additional instructions on 
commenting or visiting the docket, along with more information about 
dockets generally, is available at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    For technical information contact: Melanie Adams, Safer Choice 
Program (7406M), Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1201 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, 
DC 20004; telephone number: (202) 564-1843; email address: 
[email protected].
    For general information contact: The TSCA-Hotline, ABVI-Goodwill, 
422 South Clinton Ave., Rochester, NY 14620; telephone number: (202) 
554-1404; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Executive Summary

A. Does this action apply to me?

    You may be affected by this action if you participate in or apply 
for certification under the Safer Choice or Design for the Environment 
(DfE) programs and use or hope to use the programs' label or logo, 
respectively, on your products. Also potentially affected are 
consumers, institutional purchasers, retailers, and distributors of 
Safer Choice- or DfE-certified products who use the label or logo to 
identify products that have met the Agency's safer-product criteria. 
The following list of North American Industrial Classification System 
(NAICS) codes is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a 
guide to help readers determine whether this document applies to them. 
Affected entities may include:
     Other Basic Inorganic Chemical Manufacturing (NAICS code 
325180);
     All Other Basic Organic Chemical Manufacturing (Primary) 
(NAICS code 325199);
     Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing 
(NAICS code 325320);
     Paint and Coating Manufacturing (NAICS code 325510);
     Adhesive Manufacturing (NAICS code 325520);
     Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing (NAICS code 
325611);
     Polish and Other Sanitation Good Manufacturing (NAICS code 
325612);
     Surface Active Agent Manufacturing (Primary) (NAICS code 
325613);
     Toilet Preparation Manufacturing (NAICS code 325620);
     Photographic Film, Paper, Plate, and Chemical 
Manufacturing (NAICS code 325992);
     All Other Miscellaneous Chemical Product and Preparation 
Manufacturing (NAICS code 325998);
     Service Establishment Equipment and Supplies Merchant 
Wholesalers (Primary) (NAICS code 423850);
     Other Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers 
(Primary) (NAICS code 424690);
     Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores 
(Primary) (NAICS code 445110);
     All Other Specialty Food Stores (NAICS code 445299);
     Pharmacies and Drug Stores (NAICS code 446110);
     Office Supplies and Stationery Stores (NAICS code 453210);
     All Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers (except Tobacco 
Stores) (Primary) (NAICS code 453998);
     Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses (NAICS code 
454110);
     Research and Development in Biotechnology (except 
Nanobiotechnology) (Primary) (NAICS code 541714);
     Facilities Support Services (NAICS code 561210). 
Janitorial Services (NAICS code 561720);
     Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services (NAICS code 
561740);
     Elementary and Secondary Schools (NAICS code 611110);
     Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (NAICS 
code 611310);
     Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events 
with Facilities (NAICS code 711310);
     Drycleaning and Laundry Services (NAICS code 8123);
     Civic and Social Organizations (Primary) (NAICS code 
813410);
     Business Associations (Primary) (NAICS code 813910);
     Other General Government Support (NAICS code 921190); and
     Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste 
Management Programs (Primary) (NAICS code 924110).

B. What action is the Agency taking?

    EPA is issuing a document, entitled ``Proposed Revisions to EPA's 
Safer Choice Standard,'' that proposes several changes to the existing 
Safer Choice Standard. The Agency is proposing new packaging 
requirements to ensure that its Standard sets a suitable and up-to-date 
bar for sustainable packaging and to respond to increased demand for 
more sustainable practices. The Agency is also proposing the creation 
of a Safer Choice Cleaning Service Certification for cleaning service 
providers that use Safer Choice-certified products for cleaning and 
DfE-certified products for disinfecting. EPA is proposing several 
additional changes, including a provision allowing for preterm 
partnership termination given exceptional circumstances, the addition 
of several product class requirements, and other changes. EPA is 
additionally proposing several technical changes throughout the 
Standard. The Agency is requesting comment on the changes that as 
indicated in the document entitled ``Proposed Revisions to EPA's Safer 
Choice Standard'' and may make further programmatic changes based on 
the comments received.
    EPA is also announcing a stakeholder engagement opportunity through 
a

[[Page 78019]]

webinar and is requesting stakeholder comment on the Standard updates. 
During the webinar, EPA will give a presentation on the Agency's 
proposed plans for updating the Standard. After the presentation, there 
will be time for attendees to ask questions. The Agency will respond to 
those questions during the webinar and asks for written submission of 
any comments after the webinar.

C. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?

    1. Submitting CBI.
    Do not submit Confidential Business Information (CBI) to EPA 
through regulations.gov or email. Clearly mark the part or all of the 
information that you claim to be CBI. In addition to one complete 
version of the comment that includes information claimed as CBI, a copy 
of the comment that does not contain the information claimed as CBI 
must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket. Information so 
marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with procedures set 
forth in 40 CFR part 2.
    2. Multimedia submissions.
    Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by 
a written comment. The written comment is considered the official 
comment and should include discussion of all points you wish to make. 
The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment contents 
located outside of the primary submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or 
other file sharing system).
    3. Tips for preparing your comments.
    When preparing and submitting your comments, see the commenting 
tips at https://www.epa.gov/dockets/comments.html. Please note that 
once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from the docket. 
The EPA may publish any comment received to its public docket.
    In addition, information provided in response to this request may 
result in further programmatic changes based on the comments received. 
To facilitate commenting, EPA is requesting comment on specific aspects 
of the changes as indicated in the document titled ``Proposed Revisions 
to EPA's Safer Choice Standard'' that is available in the docket. 
Please identify the topic you are responding to when submitting your 
comments. Note that you do not need to address every request for 
comment and may focus on those where you have relevant expertise or 
experience.

II. Background

A. What is the Safer Choice program?

    As part of its environmental mission, the Safer Choice program 
partners with businesses to help consumers and commercial buyers 
identify products with safer chemical ingredients, without sacrificing 
quality or performance. The Safer Choice program certifies products 
containing ingredients that have met the program's specific and 
rigorous human health and environmental toxicological criteria. The 
Safer Choice program allows companies to use its label on certified 
products that contain safer ingredients and perform, as determined by 
expert evaluation. The Safer Choice program certification represents a 
high level of achievement in formulating products that are safer for 
people and the environment. For more information on the Safer Choice 
program, please see: https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice.

B. What is the DfE program?

    The DfE program is a similar program currently used by EPA for the 
purpose of helping consumers and commercial buyers identify 
antimicrobial products that meet the health and safety standards of the 
normal pesticide registration process required by FIFRA as well as 
meeting the DfE certification criteria (as described in the Safer 
Choice Standard). For more information on the DfE program, please see: 
https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-labels/learn-about-design-environment-dfe-certification.
    Authority: 15 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.

    Dated: November 7, 2023.
Michal Freedhoff,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2023-24988 Filed 11-13-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P