Did you know we spend over 90% of our time indoors? And that exposure to some hazardous chemicals is actually higher indoors? That is why the chemical ingredients in the products we put into our homes and workplaces is a priority concern. Furniture and fabrics are a case in point. Any use of hazardous chemicals in these products can leak out through volatilization and abrasion into the air and dust in our homes, offices, schools, and hospitals. Studies demonstrate that U.S. household dust contains a wide variety of hazardous chemicals, including Per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), from building and consumer products that can affect our health, especially children’s health.
But it is not just consumers that are exposed. The use of hazardous chemicals in furniture and fabrics exposes workers and communities to these chemicals during manufacturing operations, and when the products are disposed of. In particular the use PFAS also known as ‘forever chemicals’ can be used in furniture and fabric as stain repellents, and will persist in the environment for hundreds of years. We will never achieve a safe circular economy if hazardous chemicals are in products and post-consumer waste.
That is why Clean Production Action created GreenScreen Certified® Standard for Furniture & Fabrics. It simplifies the roadmap for purchasers wanting environmentally preferable products that are free of PFAS and thousands of other chemical of concern. And it meets the specifications of one of the largest non-profit healthcare organizations in the U.S. – Kaiser Permanente - a leader in setting standards for environmentally preferable purchasing.