Green Cleaning Efforts - New Jersey

Working in collaboration with the State Departments of Treasury and Health and Senior Services and external stakeholders, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP) staff assumed the lead role of developing guidelines for environmentally-friendly products. These products, by meeting specific standards, are envisioned to be: less harmful to the users and other potentially-exposed individuals and a lower impact on public health and the environment compared to conventional competing products; and perform at or beyond the performance standards established by the State.

NJ DEP staff conducted numerous meetings with representatives from Treasury and Health and Senior Services and external stakeholders to ensure transparency in the process and to guarantee that they address all viewpoints and concerns.

The final guidelines are modeled after the Green Seal and Environmental Choice standards for cleaning and floor-care products and the U.S. EPA's Design for the Environment program.

In addition, the guidelines contain a training component to ensure that agency staff is trained in the proper usage of these products and that they understand the potential negative health impacts of using them improperly. These guidelines were incorporated into a Request for Proposal (RFP) issued by the New Jersey Treasury Department in March 2007.

New Jersey recognizes that green cleaning is a dynamic and expanding area of interest. As such, this RFP is being implemented with the intent that the State will commit to an ongoing dialogue with other states, Green Seal, Environmental Choice, U.S. EPA, and such other stakeholders as industry and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to continually improve the standards to be more protective of human health and the environment.